Paternity
by ahbuggrit
Summary: Given a box of his biological parents' belongings, Seto suspects his father's fidelity, and begins investigating whether or not he has a half-sibling, and if s/he will be a threat. Téa ends up entangled in the Kaiba brothers' affairs while dealing with a few issues of her own.
1. Duty

**Paternity**

**Chapter 1: Duty**

"Seto, you're coming home _now_."

"Mokuba, just let me finish looking over these re-"

"No! C'mon big bro. You can do it tomorrow. Today _is_ your eighteenth birthday."

"Mokuba, it's just like any other day."

Mokuba frowned. He decided to blackmail his brother. "No, it's not. It's the day_ I_ get you to come home at a reasonable hour, and spend quality time with _you_, my big brother."

Seto Kaiba sighed. Every birthday, it was the same ding-dong - and Mokuba always succeeded. The kid really know how to send him packing on a guilt trip. He should just give in now. Regardless of what he wanted for his birthday (like finishing reviewing employee appraisals), Mokuba's wishes always won out today. Mokuba always tried to ensure that Seto was at least making more of an effort to do regular activities for a teenager. At least he wasn't being forced to have a big, swanky party.

"Okay, fine." He smiled.

Mokuba grinned as he hauled his now adult brother out of the leather seat and out of the Kaiba Corp. building. Time to go home and relax. Seto always took on more than he needed to, and this was one of the few ways that Mokuba could ensure he was taking a well-deserved break.

Mokuba had blown Seto's socks off by surprising Seto with a dinner that he himself had made. Seto was proud - okay, the steak was a little pinker than he liked, and the noodles were on the hard side of al dente, but it was a thoughtful gesture that no doubt required a lot of time and effort. Seto was pleasantly surprised again when Mokuba offered to play Duel Monsters and chess with him. Seto made a mental note to challenge Mokuba more often - his brother had shown some promise of strategic thinking.

Mokuba tiredly got ready for bed after having watched 'I, Robot' with his brother. Nothing like eating cake while watching dangerous driving, murderous robots and explosions to end a Kaiba birthday. He was quite happy with getting his older brother out of the office a lot earlier than usual.

As Mokuba settled for sleep, Seto made his way to his small home office. Tiredly, he switched on his computer with the intention of checking stocks before bed. However, a large white cardboard box at the side of his desk drew his attention instead.

Seto picked up the box and placed it upon the desk. He pulled off the white envelope that had been taped to the cover of the box. His eyes widened as he skimmed through the contents.

_**Dear Seto Kaiba,**_

_**I am writing to inform you that this box contains the belongings of your biological parents, Taku and Haruhi Seguchi.**_

_**The box has been in the safe-keeping of our firm, Nakano & Shindou, since the unfortunate passing of your parents, eight years ago. Now that you've become a legal adult, we can fulfil our legal duties by handing over the box to you.**_

_**We are sorry for not informing you sooner of the existence of the box, but this was a time clause in your parents' will that you not find out about it until your eighteenth birthday.**_

_**If you have any further enquiries, please feel free to phone our offices from 9 am to 5 pm weekdays, or email us at nakanoshindou(at)**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Nakano Akira.**_

This was unexpected. It was a strangely comforting birthday present. Seto blinked to erase the stinging of his eyes. There was no way he was going to let the waterworks start spurting. He placed the letter beside the box and lifted off the lid.

The inside the box was lined thinly with white tissue paper. There was a deep A5-sized box that looked like it was made of beech. Underneath it were two high school diplomas and his father's university diploma for economic science. There were two glass bottles - one was his mother's perfume bottle, half used, and his father's special cologne that was almost empty. Seto sniffed the bottles. Everything around him suddenly blanked out as he was taken back to his fifth birthday… To the happier times of his childhood.

Seto swallowed the every-growing lump in his throat, but it would not budge. The centre of his chest was aching, and no amount of oxygen seemed to ease the pain that was building up.

Seto steadied himself before opening the beech wood box. Inside, a silver coloured locket lay upon a bed of letters. Seto picked up the locket, noting the bronze flecks that shone through and the green-coloured glass that lay in the centre of the oval locket. Almost tentatively, he opened the locket - it was a little difficult at first, but he finally slid a fingernail between the grooves and opened it.

He inhaled sharply. On one side of the locket was a picture of his parents. His father's blue eyes were focused on his mother's warm brown eyes, as if no one else in the world mattered. On the other side was a picture of Seto as a baby.

_They never has a chance to put a picture of Mokuba and I together instead of this one._

He sat down slowly into the chair and forced his hands to not tremble. He pulled out the letters - they were in two sets. The thickest bundle had a thick blue ribbon holding them together.

Seto spent a long time pouring over his parents' love letters. His heart ached at the tender expressions expressed to one another - it was like a snapshot of his true parents' relationship and of their lives.

Angry words were also expressed, but subsequent letters were full of apologies. Except for the second last letter. Noting the name at the bottom, Seto saw that it was his mother addressing his father. He read through the letter that was composed of angry words and thick, sketchy letters.

'…_**lying bastard…'**_

'…_**lucky if you ever meet your son…'**_

'_**How could you betray me?'**_

Seto dropped the letter. He inhaled. He exhaled. He noted the date and made a quick calculation - it was written when his mother had been seven months pregnant with him.

Seto grimaced slightly as he retied the bundle of letters. He turned his attention to the second set - it was one long letter, tied with a white ribbon.

A sense of ill foreboding came upon him as he scanned for who was addressing whom. Some lady called Rikako was addressing his father. His eyes narrowed as he read, and the more he read, the stronger the sick feeling in his stomach grew.

The Rikako woman spoke of her love for his father… it disturbed Seto, and was altering his perception of his father already. One line stood out in particular, that caused his stomach to churn violently.

'_**I know that it was only one night for us… but I need to know if you want to be involved. I love you. I tried calling to explain our problem but…'**_

Seto's stomach twisted. It seemed that his father, whom he held on a pedestal with his mother, had cheated on her when she was pregnant.

The two words "our problem" glared at him from the page. What problem? Had his father impregnated another woman? Had someone discovered their affair? Was she in need of financial assistance?

Feeling uneasy, Seto tidied his parents' belongings back into the box and hid the box in his locked filing cabinet. Seto couldn't risk Mokuba finding the box before he himself had decided how to handle the information.

With his image of his biological father crushed, Seto steamed angrily to himself. _I need to investigate… I want answers. I need to know if I have a step-sibling… and if I need to protect Mokuba from the bastard offspring._

Unsurprisingly, he had a tough time getting to sleep.

_Happy birthday _he thought bitterly.

Not knowing what had happened eighteen years ago put Seto Kaiba into a foul mood. Speculation was plaguing his mind and eating at the ideal image of his father that he had. However, he chose to hide it in front of Mokuba, not wanting Mokuba to misinterpret his mood as having hated the previous night. He would just have to wait until he got into the car.

In his car, Seto sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. _How many other students got up early on a Sunday morning to supervise marketing and product development?_ he thought crankily to himself.

He turned his thoughts to the 'betrayal' of his mother - it was still plaguing him. Ever the strategist, he began formulating investigation methods that wouldn't about suspicion or attract the media - there was not point in attracting gold-diggers claiming to be a half-sibling. Seto also did not want the media dragging up the past… people would use any personal information against you in this business., especially as his face was so well associated with his company - any bad press for him was bad for the company.

As the car approached his office building, he sighed once more, unknowingly attracting a look of disbelief and shock from his driver. The driver had never heard his boss sigh so much before - it was a too-blatant expression of emotions for the Seto Kaiba.

On the pavement, his irritation only increased upon running into someone. He heard a feminine grunt, and he growled to himself. _Another damned fan-girl._

"Sorry!"

Kaiba looked down. There was no surprise showing on his face when he recognised Téa. Typical that it would have to be a member of the 'Happy-Clappy Squad' that would run into him on a Sunday morning. He gritted his teeth and muttered an "excuse me" before continuing on to his office. Téa stared after him strangely before shrugging her shoulders and continuing down the street. She was mildly puzzled as to why he didn't insult her for running into him. _Kind of sad that he's working so early on a Sunday. Does he __ever__ take a break?_

Téa walked purposely into a convenience store and bought a bunch of cheap, bright yellow flowers. As she has suspected, cutting through the business section was the fastest way to do this - the faster she did this, the sooner it would be over. _Like pulling off a band aid_ she reasoned.

A ten minute walk south of the business section led her to a graveyard. Téa hesitated at the gate, before plunging in determinedly. She marched up to a little gray headstone and flung the flowers on the grave.

A little wave a guilt forced Téa to kneel down, and to arrange the flowers more attractively.

"Sorry mom."

Téa stood in silence before the grave, not really wanting to express her thoughts aloud. It was almost a year and a half ago that the cold body of her mother had been dropped in the hole and covered with dirt.

After five minutes, Téa stiffly turned and walked towards the exit, at a more sedate pace than when she has arrived in. She felt like a weight had been taken off her shoulders - she wasn't ignoring her filial duty. She did visit the grave and made sure that it was okay, like any good daughter should. She wouldn't have to worry about visiting for another few months, and better still, she wouldn't feel guilty about it.

Her thoughts flew back to her mother, no matter how much she wished to stay away from the topic. It had been two years since her mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It has been two years since she had begun treating her mother kindly again. It had been two years since her mother had completely given up the weekend binge-drinking. It was to no avail though. The cancer had already progressed too quickly and it had taken her mother soon after.

In the last five months of her mother's life, Téa had tried to be kinder to her mother. From the beginning of puberty, she had resented her mother for not unveiling the identity of Téa's father, for getting locked every weekend and for not supporting her dream to dance.

But the last five months they spent together… Téa gave her mother the expression of love that she so desired from her daughter. She hid her resentment. When she got annoyed or frustrated, Téa would go outside for a walk or a dance. If she was around her mother when she wasn't feeling well, she gritted her teeth, and forced an angelic smile. It was only after her mother was truly dead and buried that she ceased to hide her resentment.

Bzzz-bzzz-bzzz.

Téa rummaged for her vibrating mobile phone in her pocket. Finding the chunky white cuboid, she yanked it out, pressing the green button to answer. "Hello?"

"Hey Téa - it's your auntie Chihiro here."

Téa repressed a sigh. "Hey auntie! What's up?" she cheerfully replied.

"Well, I'd just called over to your apartment to check on you, but you weren't there…" Chihiro's cheerful warm voice trailed off.

"Yeah. Um… I was visiting the grave," Téa replied awkwardly. There was a slight pause at this statement, as Chihiro absorbed what Téa has just said.

"Oh. Well… I'm glad." Chihiro replied calmly. "Honey, y'know, I'd really like you to reconsider living with me and your uncle Ashitaka-"

"Auntie, don't worry. I'm fine. I like where I live. It's close to school, work and my friends," Téa replied. Her patience was already beginning to wear thin.

As if sensing this, Chihiro continued. "Well, if you're sure. Just know that we're always ready to welcome you if you ever change your mind.'

"Thanks," Téa replied softly. Her aunt really could be the most considerate person at times. "I've got to go now auntie."

"Okay honey. See you soon."

"See you!"

After checking with marketing and product developments, Seto was surprised to find that he had some free time. _Looks like the staff have finally found their brains._

He pondered for a moment about his problem of investigating. All he wanted to know was whether or not he had a step-sibling that he should be wary of. All he had was a first name. No surname, age or location. That was a very wide search perimeter. Nonetheless, Seto decided to take the first step of the investigation there and then.

Seto Kaiba hacked into the governments census database. He typed in _Rikako_ for a first name, and narrowed the location to the county - thus he could include Domino city and all the surrounding towns.

He growled to himself, as well of over a hundred name popped up. He typed in a request to narrow the list further by eliminating those who never had children. Only fifty names remained now. He smirked happily to himself.

Seto Kaiba then removed those who didn't have children prior to his own date of birth - the list narrowed drastically to seven. He may have missed out on some of the possible suspects - what if his father has a lovechild before he was born, or the child was aborted? - but he decided to start with these seven _Rikako_ women.

**This will be my first multi-chaptered fic here. For some reason, I'm not too happy with this - the writing style seems a bit stilted, and it doesn't seem to draw the reader in. What can I do to fix this? Please feel free to give constructive criticism, and to point out spelling and grammer mistakes - thanks!  
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	2. Are You Okay?

_**Previously:**__ Seto received a box of his deceased parents belongings, while Téa visited her mother's grave._

**Chapter 2: Are you okay?**

Three o' clock at Burger World was the worst hour for Téa - families with screaming children, bored teenagers and couples on awkward dates were crammed into the tiny diner.

Téa was running back and forth, dodging fries flung by tantrum-throwing children while trying to balance food trays and drinks in her hands. Sweat poured down her back and forehead. It was a lot of work for a poor pay cheque. _Every penny counts_, she told herself.

An audible sigh of relief escaped from her lips as two families vacated the premises. She cleaned their tables and felt the pressure of the day ease.

"Hey Téa!"

Téa turned to see Tristan waving at her. A smile broke out on her lips. "Hey!" She then focused on Mokuba, who was standing next to Tristan, looking uncomfortable.

"Hi Mokuba," she greeted him. He raised his eyes from the tiled floor and smiled "hi" before wincing slightly.

Téa then noticed the large bruise forming on his cheek. "What happened?" she exclaimed.

Tristan answered. "We'll tell you in a moment. How about getting us two quarter pounders, two large fries and two cokes please?"

Téa brought over the order quickly and sat alongside Mokuba, opposite to Tristan. In her hand was a blue gel ice pack, which she offered to Mokuba. He took the pack and held it to his face. "Thanks."

"No problem," she smiled. "Now, tell me what happened? What happened to your cheek Mokuba, and what to happened to your knuckles?" she enquired, gesturing to Tristan.

Mokuba took a chunk out of his burger as Tristan explained. "A gang of assholes decided to jump Mokuba for fun. Tried to beat the crap out of him. I kind of jumped in to help."

Mokuba seemed to be embarrassed as he focused solely on eating his burger.

"Oh god, poor you Mokuba," Téa sympathised.

Tristan grinned. "Oh, I don't know. I think Mokuba managed to hurt quite a few of them. One guy was wheezing as he shuffled off, and I know that I didn't hit him."

A blush flashed across Mokuba's cheeks. "Thanks again, Tristan."

"It's fine Mokuba. Glad to help though. I don't know if you really needed my help. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Seto," Mokuba replied. "For the last seven months, he's been teaching me self-defence. He thinks I've made some good progress."

"You sure have." Tristan smiled encouragingly.

"Well, at least neither of you got seriously injured." Téa smiled. "Listen, my shift ends in twenty minutes - can I get a lift home with you guys?"

Mokuba replied smiling. "Sure. I'll drop both of you home… as a thank you."

"No need to thank us, Mokuba. What're friends for? Thanks for the lift though," Tristan grinned.

Seeing her manager gesture angrily at her, Téa leapt up. "See you guys in twenty," she called behind her as she ran behind the counter.

(88888888)

Having dropped Tristan back home, Téa was next.

"You are feeling okay though?" Téa questioned the youngest Kaiba.

"Yeah," he smiled. "It was a bit frightening, but I've gotten bigger and stronger. I'm able to defend myself well enough now."

"Yes, I noticed you've gotten taller. You've been shooting up like a weed," Téa chucked. "It won't be long now until you're as tall as you're brother."

"If not taller," Mokuba laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Téa laughed harder at this.

Feeling the car coming to a stop, Téa turned to Mokuba. "Thanks for the lift."

"No problem Téa," Mokuba smiled graciously, hardly wincing now. "Hopefully, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, you too," she replied, climbing out of the car. "Goodbye Mokie."

"'Bye Téa," he called as his driver pulled from the curb.

Téa smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. _He's such a sweetie. It's great to know he wasn't badly hurt… Thank goodness he can defend himself now._

After a hot shower, Téa set about completing her homework for school tomorrow.

(88888888)

Seto had finished hiding the two letters that implied his father's adultery. There was no need for Mokuba's image of his father to be shattered to smithereens, especially when there was no solid proof - there was only a suggestion of adultery. He tidied the belongings into the box, preparing it for Mokuba.

He stood up upon hearing the front door close and followed Mokuba's footsteps into the kitchen.

Mokuba had just finished fishing a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer when Seto entered. Seto's eyes widened upon sighting his brother's swollen purple cheek.

"Mokuba! What happened?" he questioned, as he marched over to inspect his brother's injury.

"Hey Seto. Whoa, it's okay," Mokuba said, trying to squirm out of his brother's grip. He was going red from embarrassment again. "Some kids tried to attack me, that's all."

"That's all!" Seto growled. In his mind's eye, he saw him punishing Mokuba's attackers by whipping them and humiliating them publicly. How dare they hurt _his_ brother!

"Yes. I was fending them off well enough. One of them landed a proper punch on me, but Tristan stepped in to help. Not before I kicked one in the gut though," Mokuba chuckled. Hopefully chuckling would calm his brother down. He rolled the packet of peas in a tea towel and held it against his swollen cheek.

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yes!" Mokuba exclaimed, exacerbated. "Jeez, between you, Tristan and Téa, I must've been asked that a million times already!"

"Téa?"

"Yeah. Tristan took me to Burger World to get an ice pack off of Téa. She looked like she was about to have a heart attack."

Seto embraced Mokuba. "I'm glad you're okay."

Mokuba smiled softly. "Of course I am. I'm learning self-defence from the best brother there is."

Seto didn't reply to this. He knew damn well that he wasn't the best - but he never protested otherwise. It felt good to hear Mokuba say it.

"Y'know, now you're going to have to be kind to Tristan and Téa," Mokuba teased slyly.

Seto grunted. Time to change the subject. Looking Mokuba in the eye, he said, "I've got something to show you."

Mokuba followed Seto into his office, wondering what it was his brother wished to show him. Had he created the ultimate deck to defeat Yugi? Had he discovered immortality? Or, more unlikely, had he found a girlfriend?

Mokuba immediately noticed the white box and his curiosity was plainly obvious in his eyes.

Seto cleared his throat and paused before he spoke. "I received this last night. It's… It's some of mom and dad's stuff."

Mokuba's eyes widened and he glanced over with a worried expression at his brother. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Seto smiled very slightly. "Take a look."

Hesitantly, Mokuba opened up the box. His eyes teared up, but no tears fell. Seto quietly watched his as Mokuba read through the letters and diplomas, sniffed the perfume and cologne bottles, and stared at the locket.

Mokuba felt emotions wrestle for dominance in his chest - shock, anger, love, guilt and sadness. It was barely perceptible, but obvious to his brother, who saw all these emotions flit across Mokuba's eyes.

"Wow." He whispered softly.

Seto only nodded in agreement.

(88888888)

Monday morning - the most dreaded time of the week.

Yugi sleepily clambered out of bed, washed and dressed in a slow, sloth-like manner.

Joey slept in longer than he was supposed to, and was cursing as he chewed on toast while trying to stuff his legs into his school trousers, without ripping them.

Tristan was already dressed in his school uniform when he woke, as he'd put it on the previous night to save time the next morning - never mind the wrinkles.

Téa rolled out of bed, and after a spritz of hot water in the shower, she put on her uniform with care, and spent ten minutes fixing her hair.

Seto Kaiba was already up and had briefed a technician on a new idea to improve the holograms for the duel disks.

Mokuba woke up - he was quite subdued, even for a Monday morning. The previous night of pouring over his parents' belongings had drained him emotionally. He was still experiencing a mix of emotions, but he was more content with the situation now. He couldn't help but think of what a huge shock it must have been for Seto.

Strangely, everyone departed for school at the same time (except for Joey).

Seto first dropped Mokuba off to school - even though Kaiba Corp. had been in the media spotlight quite often in the last few years, very few people at the middle school knew of Mokuba's connection and position in the company. Kaiba was thankful for that - it really gave Mokuba a chance to socialise like a normal teen.

As his driver drove in the direction of his high school, Kaiba's eye was caught by a waving figure - it was Téa greeting Yugi and Tristan. He snorted inwardly. _Dweebs_, he thought as they drove past.

(88888888)

"Hey Tristan, Yugi!" Téa called to her friends as she did every school morning.

"Hey Téa," they greeted in unison.

The binomial theorem and De Moivre's theorem were discussed as they waited for Joey.

Joey arrived, puffing and panting, with a smear of strawberry jam on his left cheek. "I'm here, I'm here! I'm not late," he gasped out.

"No, you're on time, for Joey," Tristan jibed.

Laughter ensued when Téa pointed out to the oblivious Joey that he had strawberry jam on his cheek. Now that the four had met up, as they did every school morning, they walked together to school, discussing assignments and upcoming duel tournaments.

Yugi, the most observant one of the group, noticed that Téa was a little less cheery than usual. Granted, it was a Monday morning, but Téa's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

He pondered on what could be wrong until the bell rang, and they all ran in their separate ways to various classes.

(88888888)

At the bell for break, students streamed out of classes like salmon in a river, to their lockers and the canteen.

Seto Kaiba remained in his classroom and whipped out his laptop, silently thanking Wi-fi, and set about checking his emails.

The technician had replied an hour ago, saying that Kaiba's idea was feasible, but glitches were quite likely for the near future. He smirked - of course it was feasible. He made a mental note to have Mokuba check the product - the kid was easily becoming a whiz at electronics and probably knew more than any university graduate working at Kaiba Corp.

He was about to check his profit yields when he heard Yugi's voice just outside the classroom door.

"Hey Téa… um, you seem a bit… down today," Yugi started lamely.

"Oh… yeah. Well, I went to visit… mom's grave yesterday," Téa quietly replied. _I didn't know she could speak without a uber-happy tone,_ Seto smirked.

"Oh… Understandable. Are you okay?"

"Yeah… it's been a while since I visited it and, um… it relieved some pressure. I've been kind of avoiding visiting her grave."

_Well, this is mildly interesting._

"Well, it's good that you're moving on."

Téa made a non-committal sound in response as their shadows moved from the door. _I wonder why Ms. Happy-Clappy doesn't like visiting her mom's grave. Why do it then? Did her dad make her?_

Seto then swept these thoughts out of his head as he focused on methods of increasing his profit margin by five percent this quarter.

**I hope that this chapter isn't as choppy as the last one. There doesn't seem to be much of a plot yet, does it? Thanks for reading, please review. Feel free to offer constructive criticism and to point out mistakes.**


	3. Thanks

_**Previously: **__Tristan helped Mokuba out in a fight. Seto showed Mokuba the box of their parents' belongings. Yugi talked to Téa about visiting her mother's grave, and they were overheard by Seto._

**Chapter 3: Thanks**

For the first five minutes of lunch, everyone was attending their lockers, cramming books in, and struggling to pull others out. Kaiba strode purposefully through the thinning crowds of students. He spotted Tristan, who was scratching his chin in contemplation of what books he'd need for the next class.

_Time to get this obligation out of the way._

Seto calmly walked up to Tristan's locker. Glancing around, he noticed that there were very few students left in the hallway, and none close enough to hear what he had to say.

Tristan noticed Kaiba next to him, and cautiously looked at him. It was a bit of an understatement to say that the two had never been on good terms, but the look in Kaiba's eyes made Tristan keep his yap shut.

Kaiba ignored Tristan's wary look, and tensed posture. _I suppose I'd be in fight-or-flight mode too if I were him._

Devoid of emotion, Kaiba looked Tristan in the eye. "Thank you for assisting Mokuba yesterday. Thanks for… protecting him."

Kaiba waited a whole three seconds for a response. Surprise was evident on Tristan's face - his eyes had widened and his jaw dropped slightly.

"Uh, you're welcome. It was no problem, to be honest. Uh… even if I hadn't stepped in, I think Mokuba could've handled them. Those self-defence moves you taught him seemed to work."

An awkward silence developed. Neither one broke eye contact. Tristan, part of Kaiba's enemy's cheering squad, had complimented him. It was unsettling.

Kaiba curtly nodded to Tristan, and continued down the hallway, turning left to find his own locker.

Tristan was left with his mouth opened slightly. _Did what just happen really happen?_ he wondered. As if to proved it had, Joey jumped on Tristan, causing the two to land on the floor - the pain confirmed it. This wasn't a dream and _the_ Seto Kaiba had just thanked him! Was the world coming to an end?

(88888888)

For lunch time, Seto found a quiet spot outside on one of the benches that were dotted around the school. The ankle of his right foot rested upon his left knee, providing a makeshift surface for his laptop to rest on. Stock had remained steady, and no one had called with an emergency.

Seto Kaiba allowed himself to relax. There was no problem at the company, he had all his homework completed, and no one had kidnapped Mokuba or threatened to take over the world. It was unusual, but Kaiba was content.

His thoughts turned to thanking Tristan… that had been awkward, but it was done now. Poor Mokuba… but Seto was proud of his brother - he managed to defend himself against a group. Seto chuckled softly at the thought of the pain the attacker were now experiencing after messing with Mokuba.

His thoughts meandered to his brother's reverent, almost-solemn expression when he saw the white box and its contents. Seto bit his lip and his expression hardened - he wanted to protect Mokuba so badly from his father's secret… if indeed it was what he thought it was. Not knowing was driving Seto crazy with anxiety.

With his free time, Seto decided to investigate the seven _Rikakos_ of his narrowed down list. If nothing was yielded, he would widen the search perimeters again. He had to be sure - he was now Seto Kaiba, and he believed that one could only protect oneself if one knew what cards were in play.

Seto opened up the file containing the lists of Rikako women. _Rikako Nara, Rikako Danes, Rikako Murakami, Rikako Natsuki, Rikako Gardner, Rikako Meminger and Rikako DeFranco._

Opening a browser, Seto opened seven tabs, and in each tab typed on of the Rikakos name into the search engine.

In the first tab, a picture of a short, sallow-skinned woman appeared with a link to her social networking site. Seto smirked. _Too easy._ Glancing through Nara's profile, he saw that she was married, lived in the neighbouring town of Billiards and had two children - her eldest son was a year younger than Seto.

Rikako Danes, in the next tab, only appeared on a company website. Browsing through it, Seto found her address - she lived in the suburbs of Domino city. There were no other details available online. _Nothing I can't find out later anyway._

Rikako Murakami's brightly coloured web page popped up. The website offered custom-made party decorations. Clicking "About Me", Seto learned that the skinny brunette only had one child - a daughter who was the same age as Seto.

Search results for Rikako Natsuki showed her social networking page - there were pictures of the chestnut-haired mother with a teenage daughter, holding a pink, wrinkly baby.

There was very little on Rikako Gardner. There were no social networking pages or business websites. Digging a little deeper, Seto found that she had lived in Domino city until her death two years ago, leaving behind a daughter.

Rikako Meminger's social networking page was full of pictures of her holidaying in Germany with her blonde teenage son. The page also revealed that she was living in a nearby village, Jigsaw.

In the final tab, it was revealed that Rikako DeFranco was a blues singer, well-known in the industry. Her daughter seemed to be following the same musical path as her mother, but instead she played the saxophone in an amateur jazz band.

Seto thought pensively for a moment. Getting the DNA of the mothers was pointless - he needed the DNA of the offspring to compare with his own.

DeFranco would be easy - a saliva sample from the spit valve of her saxophone would more than suffice. For all the other children, Seto decided to find out their hobbies and see if he could obtain DNA samples.

A name flashed in his mind, interrupting his thoughts. _Gardner… Could Téa Gardner be Rikako Gardner's daughter? Rikako Gardner is dead… and Téa Gardner is motherless._

Blood pumped through his veins more vigorously, throbbing in his ears as he realised that there was a chance that he was be related to Yugi's cheerleader.

Seto yanked open the laptop again and reopened the tab on Rikako Gardner. He scanned through the online version of the obituary.

_**Rikako Gardner passed away last Saturday, after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her sister, Chihiro, her mother, Michelle and her daughter Téa. **_

Shit. It must be the same Gardner. Tension knotted in his shoulders and the vein in his forehead began to throb invisibly. _There's a chance we're related… one in seven… I'll check the other suspects first, maybe… Hell, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe my father didn't have an affair._

'… _**One night…'**_

'_**I love you.'**_

'… _**our problem…'**_

He shook his head. No point wondering about maybes - he needed solid, scientific proof.

(88888888)

At the same time as Seto Kaiba had been settling down on to the bench with his laptop, Yugi and his three friends had met up for lunch and were leisurely walking to the canteen, chatting about Ms. Haruno's rather ridiculous hair-do.

Yugi picked up a tray in the canteen. "It looked like it was carved from stone, it was so stiff."

"Yeah, she probably used waaaay too much hairspray," Téa giggled as she pictured the lopsided beehive style again.

Joey grinned evilly. "Why don't we test how much is in it? Anyone got any matches?"

Tristan slapped his blonde friend in the back, propelling him forward in the lunch line. "I'm not letting an idiot pyromaniac like you near matches again."

They all laughed at that. The memory of Joey trying to light an alcohol-smothered Christmas pudding now had everyone running once he had matches in his hands.

Settling into a quiet corner of the canteen, the four munched and slurped their lunches. Téa did her best to avoid looking at Joey and Tristan while they ate. When those two ate lunch in front of her, they more often than not put her off of her food. They slammed food into their open caverns, not taking care to prevent it smearing on their faces.

In less than ten minutes, all plates had been licked clean, courtesy of Joey (and he wondered why Kaiba called him a 'mutt').

Tristan interrupted Yugi and Joey's debate on the best defence monsters. "Y'know, something kind of weird happened today."

"Serenity finally agreed to go out with you?" Téa jokingly questioned.

"Nooo," Tristan replied, drawing out the syllable.

Everyone at the table looked at him expectantly, as he paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to start his story.

"Téa, you remember Mokuba was attacked yesterday?"

Téa nodded as a concerned expression showed in Yugi's large violet eyes, and Joey angrily exclaimed "what?"

"Well… um, Kaiba just walked up to me at the beginning of lunch. He thanked me for helping Mokuba. Can you believe it?"

"Yes, actually," Yugi smiled. "He's not a bad gu-"

"Y'are jokin', Tristan, ain't ya?" Joey laughed incredulously.

"Nope. I'm not saying he was all gifts and hugs, but he did say thank you. It was kind of awkward."

The foursome sat in silence for a moment as they digested what Tristan had said.

"Well, he does love his little brother a lot," Yugi commented.

"True," Téa said thoughtfully. "It's probably why he's been teaching Mokuba self-defence."

"Hey, how badly hurt was Mokuba after the fight?" Joey queried.

"Just a bruise. You should've seen the kid fight," Tristan chuckled. "He's not too bad at all. He was able to handle himself well enough. He's come a long way since the kidnappings during Battle City."

"It's a good thing you were around to help though," Yugi complimented his brunette friend.

"And it was good of Kaiba to thank you," Téa said.

Replies of agreement, and a sniff of derision from Joey were heard as the conversation slipped back to Duel Monsters.

As Duel Monster strategies flew over her head, Téa thought of Seto Kaiba. _It must've taken a lot for him to thank Tristan, a friend of his arch enemy. Perhaps he's finally changing… maybe he's no longer seeing us as a threat. This might be an opportunity to offer the olive branch of friendship…_

**So, the gang has seen more of Kaba's human side. I know there still doesn't seem to be a plot, but it's a kind of "setting the scene" chapter... I think. **

**There's a chance Seto is related to Téa... Dun, dun, DUN! Is it true?**

**Thanks so much for reading. Please review. Feel free to correct my mistakes.**


	4. School's Out!

_**Previously: **__Seto thanked Tristan for helping Mokuba in the fight. Seto began his investigation and discovered that Téa could possibly be related to him. Tristan informed the group of Kaiba's words of thanks, providing a more human image of the Kaiba Corp. king._

**Chapter 4: School's Out!**

In the last class of the hot, sweaty Monday, half of Seto Kaiba's class were asleep, and many more were about to join them as the teacher's dreary droning lulled them to sleep. There was no doubt that staying awake and focused on the lesson was a challenge. However, this challenge was beneath Seto Kaiba - he understood the business laws being explained at the top of the class more than anyone present in the room. Thus, he opted to switch off in the class. Mentally, he began preparing a suitable line of argument to get a further discount on raw materials from his supplier.

However, this was ruse to stop himself from focusing on a certain short-haired brunette in front of him. It was tempting - he had the perfect opportunity to obtain a DNA sample and thus he could rule out Gardner - his fingers itched to do so. He restrained himself. It would look creepy, as though he was one of Gardner's admirers. There wasn't any point, he reasoned. _More than likely, we share no blood connection whatsoever. It would be better to focus my resources elsewhere._

It was almost a relief when the school bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. A mutual, unspoken hurray was expressed as stress lines disappeared and grins blossomed. Books were tossed and shoved into school bags before students ran out of school. Only four more days to go before summer holidays.

It was an evening of hard work for both Seto and Téa, despite the difference of their after-school occupations.

(88888888)

Seto was quite frustrated with the amount of paperwork that had piled up on his desk. _Any taller and it would obscure me from sight. _He sighed - he was definitely going to need some ice tonight to prevent writer's cramp. He frowned as he glanced through some of the documents. _Half of these should be looked after by human resources for crying out loud! What's the point in having them?_

(88888888)

Téa and the mop were furiously cutting through the grease that thinly coated areas of the tiled floor behind the serving counter. All of the frustrations of the day had been taken out on the poor innocent grease.

She sighed. It had been a while since she had attended dance classes and she missed them. She was just too busy - school, homework, work, the adventures with her friends… it all piled up, and left little time for her to attend dance classes. Youtube tutorials would just have to do for now.

It was still light out when Téa's shift ended and she was walking home. Visiting her mother's grave yesterday had reminded her of their countless arguments and fights. Generally, it was either Téa battling for information on her paternity, or trying to get her mother to stay in at the weekends. The memories depressed Téa to no end.

Now, there was no way she'd ever know who her father was… her mother had buried that secret with her. Téa didn't understand why her mother never told her of her father's identity. Had he known about Téa? Had he abandoned them? Was she conceived under unwanted and bothersome circumstances? Was she the product of a one night stand or a loving relationship? Was her father even still alive?

Unlocking the door to her apartment, Téa sighed in despair. There was no way to find answers - even Chihiro didn't know about Téa's father.

Téa tried to firmly push these thoughts out of her head - she had to focus on her application of the ratio test. Every time those thoughts snuck back, she mentally berated herself and swatted her own hand, as a way of getting attention back onto her books.

After at least attempting all of the maths questions and completing her history essay, Téa plopped down into bed for a long deep sleep.

(88888888)

While Téa was sleeping, Seto Kaiba had researched the hobbies of his targets. He had a general knowledge of their lives, a sort of timetable to know when and where they'd be - he dispatched his personal P.I.s to go and subtly obtain the DNA of the DeFranco, Danes and Murakami would be obtained quickly, as they lived in Domino… it might take more time to get DNA from Meminger, Nara and Natsuki. However, Seto knew that his operatives were professionals, and good at what they did - that was why they had been hired by him.

Seto hadn't sent anyone after Gardner… He wasn't sure why he hadn't. He didn't feel comfortable with investigating her. _It's probably due to the fact that I actually __know__ her… isn't it? Besides, there is no way I'm related to that friendship-loving freak._

He ignored the very slight ill feeling in the depths of his gut and focused on catching up on his paper work, waiting for the reports from his P.I.s.

(88888888)

Mokuba knew from the look on Seto's face this morning that it was unlikely that he'd see him for the rest of the day. There was a more steely look in his eyes than usual, and Mokuba had learned that it meant Seto Kaiba was going to kick arse in the business world.

He sighed. Sometimes he really wished that he could spend more time with his older brother. Things had improved recently, especially since his brother had stopped chasing the "King of Games" title so fervently. He had let it go - that didn't mean that he gave up. He was still working on improving his deck to take down Yugi, but he wasn't as obsessed as he previously had been.

With his little free time, Seto had decided to teach his younger brother self-defence… He had hoped that Mokuba would be able to handle himself against more amateurish kidnappers. The one-on-one time was very important to Mokuba - it was just some good fun with a more relaxed Seto.

However, before he even switched on his phone after school, Mokuba knew that Seto would have left a voicemail message saying that today's lesson was cancelled. As the stilted female voice listed off his options after the message, Mokuba deleted the message and sighed. What would he do with his free afternoon?

Slinging his bag over his back, Mokuba walked towards the arcade. He decided to kill a few hours, and improve his gaming skills. It had been a while since he last had been here.

Looking around the dim-lit arcade, Mokuba looked around him, at all the electronic lights glaring at him vying for his attention. Which one, which one?

"Mokuba!"

Mokuba turned on hearing his name to see Yugi, Joey and Tristan. He smiled a greeting at them. "Hey guys."

Joey and Yugi inspected his bruise while Tristan asked him if it was painful. After sympathies had been expressed, Mokuba was invited to hang out with the trio.

_Cool. I haven't really seen much of these guys lately,_ Mokuba thought. He kind of missed their upbeat, fun presence. He had always felt relaxed with the group, especially after Battle City, despite tensions between them and his brother.

For the rest of the afternoon, Mokuba spent time with the trio. He and Tristan watched as Yugi handed Joey's butt to him upon summoning the Dark Magician in a Duel Monsters game. They all gave DDR a shot, resulting in some hilarious poses and falls (particularly in Joey's case - he fell over the railing and into a young woman's lap. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy and the fat lip he received from her).

Bidding goodbye to his friends, Mokuba sauntered home, feeling relaxed and happy. He felt particularly close to Tristan lately - the guy has shown him some good, dirty fighting moves, and was just really open and friendly. Tristan and Joey's advice on girls has also been saved in Mokuba's mind for a later date. He just felt really thankful towards the three. _If only Seto could make friends with them… He needs friends and he needs to relax. He needs to socialise more with people his own age, people who trying to benefit from him. I mean, today would've been so much more fun if Seto had joined us… and acted civil to the guys… Maybe. He still needs to relax._

He entered the mansion, and as he passed his brother's office, he suppressed a sigh. He could hear the click-clacking of the computer keyboard as his bother worked hard. The guy never seemed to take it easy!

Hearing the telephone ring, and the quiet murmur of his brother replying, Mokuba resolved to force Seto to take it easy, and to make friends… The only question now was how to go about it…

(88888888)

The rest of the week passed as normal. Duel Monsters duels were played, orders were dished out at Burger World, and the business world quaked at Kaiba Corp.'s shocking business strategies. School progressed as per usual, although high spirits were quiet evident as summer holidays excitement continued to mount in the students. It made it a little difficult to work in some classes, but there was a definite feel-good atmosphere at school.

Téa was only delighted that soon she would be getting a break from school - the extra hours off would allow her to work and earn more. Hell, she could probably take on a second part-time job for the summer holidays. _I doubt I'll be going anywhere soon,_ she thought to herself. With the pharaoh's departure, things had quietened down in Domino City. Sure, there were still challenges from duellists hoping to attain the title of the "King of Games", but the fate of the world was no longer being threatened. Maybe it could just be a regular, drama-free summer.

Seto Kaiba was also glad for the break. Like Téa, it would leave him with more time to concentrate on work. The business was thriving, and Kaibaland was bringing in more revenue than had previously been expected. Reviews had been very kind and the place was packed with delighted children.

However, the investigation was proving to be time-consuming, despite the fact that he himself was not doing any of the field work. DeFranco, Nara, Danes and Murakami had been ruled out for definite. Paying extra had definitely been worth it. The labs were currently running DNA comparisons between his own and Natsuki's. Meminger's DNA had not been obtained yet… but his operative had promised that the DNA sample would be obtained tonight. Seto's heart pumped violently anytime he thought of it, and what always followed that thought was the fact that he hadn't tested Gardner yet.

It were these thoughts that were running through his head on the Friday before the holidays. This really was his last chance to obtain a DNA sample from her. He grimaced as he realised that he couldn't keep putting it off - what was he scared of anyhow? The results would probably prove that they were in no way related, and he would have to widen his search perimeter - he _had_ to be sure that there wasn't another individual walking around who shared his DNA. He couldn't leave himself and Mokuba open from an attack on that front - he hadn't succeeded in business thus far by not protecting himself from all angles.

He debated over whether or not he should just yank a hair out of her head. Mentally, he sniggered at the reaction that would bring from her friends - the mutt would get all red-faced and mouth off, while Tristan would get all defensive and Yugi would have his sad, worried face on.

No, it wouldn't do to draw unnecessary attention to himself - it was difficult enough nowadays to determine which students were feeding gossip to the local and national rags. He'd just have to wait for another opportunity. But when? He then realised _why do I not just get a P.I. to do so?_

He was snapped out of his reverie when the school bell rang loud and clear. Like his fellow classmates, he tidied his school books into his school bag. After sorting his books at his locker, Seto sauntered out of the school building and into his car. The driver pulled away from the curb, and headed towards the Kaiba Corp. building that dominated the business section of Domino city.

En route, he wrote an email to his P.I., instructing him to get the DNA of Téa Gardner. He only gave the barest amount of information, much like he had done with his previous targets. There was no point in making anyone suspicious by treating her differently.

When he arrived at his office at the top of the Kaiba Corp. building, Seto was greeted one of his private investigators. The tall man, dressed in a dull gray suit, had a pale blue folder in his left hand. Once the office doors were closed, and they were both seated, the man spoke.

"Regarding those samples you asked us to test, neither DeFranco, Nara, Danes, Murakami nor Natsuki match that of your information leak thus far. The lab is currently running Meminger's DNA against the sample. One of my men is after your last target, Gardner, as we speak." The man reported in a calm, emotionless manner.

Seto nodded in approval. "Good. Once all the tests have been performed, I want every sample of DNA destroyed. All databases are to be wiped, as well as all history and results. Understood?"

"Yessir," the tall, salt-and-pepper haired man replied, taking his leave.

"Good work. Thanks."

If the man was surprised by Seto Kaiba's words, he didn't show it as he left the office. Outside the door however, he paused momentarily, replaying what had happened in the office. _Mr. Kaiba must be in a good mood,_ he thought to himself, shrugging the tension out of his shoulders. It was only when he was in the elevator that the middle-aged P.I. let out a sigh, before contacting his co-worker to find out how he was getting on with obtaining Gardner's DNA. A busy signal was all he received. _Must be on the job already._

(88888888)

Téa was lucky that none of her classmates were at Burger World on the Friday that school let out. If anyone were to see her, and tell the principal… well, it wouldn't be good. Yet, Burger World was packed with students from the nearby high school. They were laughing and cheering loudly, and in general, making a mess. Fries were dropping to the floor along with lettuce and tomatoes falling from the burgers.

"Hey! Do you come as part of my Happy-Burger meal?" One of the black-haired students called out to Téa. His friends laughed and sniggered. Téa took a deep breath to calm her rage, before ducking behind the counter again. _Stupid jerks._

Still, she was glad for extra hours she had received that day. The extra money would make a great contribution to her saving funds. _And then… America!_ Her dream was to go to America, to dance. She knew that she wasn't the best dancer, and that she needed a lot of instruction. However, she also knew that she had potential. She'd been told by professional and amateur dancers, just before they gave her a look of pity upon explaining she hadn't the funds to get proper instruction.

It was difficult to find good dance teachers in Domino - duel monsters instructors were two-a-penny, but professional dance teachers were hard to come by. There wasn't one dance teacher in Domino that could teach a range of dances - most only specialised in one form. _Doesn't matter anyway, as I can't really afford it._ She sighed heavily. Time to get out of this negative train of thought! She thought of her friends - that always made her smile.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a hand land on her posterior, and there was a resounding smacking sound. She looked down at the owner of the hand, who leered up at her. It was the same guy who had called out to her earlier. _"Hey! Do you come as part of my Happy-Burger meal?" _

She glared down at the offending hand. Dropping her tray onto the table, she viciously yanked the hand away from her.

"Aw, come on ba-"

Téa roughly pulled the teen forward out of his chair, and kneed him in the stomach. She dropped his hand and whirled away from him. She left him there, coughing. His friends either laughed at him, or gathered around him to help him up off the floor. Téa stayed behind the counter, fuming at the nerve of him. _Why did he think he could treat me like that? _Damn, she was angry.

She got the mop, mop bucket and the cleaning agents, and attacked the floors. It was therapeutic to take her frustrations out. It was odd to think that she'd been frustrated more often lately - it wasn't normally how she felt. It was just a general frustration with life in general. _Just a funk._

Her frustration only served to increase when the swarthy manager called her into his office.

"Look Téa," her manager started, sounding very distant and business-like. His own brown eyes refused to meet her blue ones. "You need to learn how to handle yourself properly when a customer insults you-"

"Insults me? He was groping me!"

"Yes, fine." Her manager replied wearily. "There are better ways of handling that sort of situation without injuring the client."

Téa was fuming inside - she was the one who had been sexually harassed, and the harasser was getting the sympathy! What was she supposed to do the next time someone felt up her ass - _thank them?_ Ridiculous.

Her manager sighed and ran his hand through his thinning hair. "Look, more than likely, the kid won't press charges or anything. But next time you might not be so lucky. You understand that it would be Burger World that would be sued."

Téa felt guilty about that. Okay, it wasn't the nicest place to work, but the manager and her co-workers were kind enough. The hours were flexible for the most part. There were worse jobs out there and she was lucky that she didn't have to take them.

The manager finally looked her in the eye. "Téa, I'm going to put you behind the counter for now. Anymore problems… I'm sorry, but I will have to let you go."

Téa nodded dumbly at that. She couldn't lose this job - _every penny counts!_

With the threat of losing her job hanging over her head, Téa wandered home wearily. Her feet were throbbing, her calves were complaining, she had pulled a muscle in her shoulder and now she had a headache. So, it was a relief to finally be home, free from school and finished work.

Just as she was searching for the key to her apartment in her bag, a man crashed into her. He landed on top of her, and was breathing heavily, as though he'd been running very hard.

"Owww." They complained in unison.

As the thirty-something man tried to stand up while helping Téa up, the buckle on the sleeve of his coat got caught in her hair. He'd given it a vicious yank before realising it was caught in her hair.

"Damn, I'm really sorry about this," the man's smoker voice apologised.

Téa winced and bit her lip and the man worked the buckle out of her hair, "Take things a little more slowly, maybe?" She said, trying to sound light-hearted and failing. She just sounded accusatory.

Thankfully, the man didn't retort to her statement. "Sorry again. In a bit of a rush. Thanks for the hairs," he joked weakly, as he backed down the hallway.

Téa stared after him as though he was an oddball. "Right. Goodbye," she said, uncertainly. _Weird._

Finding her keys in her bag, she pushed open the door, dumped her bags and closed it behind her. _Finally. Time to relax. Hmmm, I think I'll have a bath today rather than a shower… Then watch a movie._

Once she was perfectly pruned, she turned off all the lights, and settled down to watch the DVD of 'Kick-Ass' Joey had lent her. She promptly fell in love with Hit-Girl.

(88888888)

In the DNA lab, the final sample of seven was being tested. Machines whirred softly as the DNA sample was cut with restrictor enzymes and computers analysed the different genes on the DNA. A tired analyst typed her commands into the computer. The flashing screen signalled when it was finished its job. The analyst looked through the results on-screen.

"Huh… Looks like they share at least one parent." The analyst ate an egg-salad sandwich before sending the results off to the man who had provided the sample. _He's cute. I wonder if he'd go out with me…_

But he had run off already.

**So… is it Gardner or Meminger?**

**I want to specially thank my reviewers: ChibiGirlXD, Fire Ice and snowcones, ImmortalAngel92 and Etsuko An. **

**Thanks also to those who put me on alert/favourites!**

**Anyone else in love with Hit-Girl like I am?**

**Please review and point out my mistakes!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Previously:** After a tiring day at work where she was harassed by a customer, Téa runs into a weird man, whose sleeve buckle catches in her hair. An analyst determines that someone, somewhere, has a half-sibling._

_**Warning**__: Swearing from here on out (not excessive, I hope). Also, possible OOCness/character development (whatever you want to call it)._

_**Chapter 5 - Time to Kick Ass **_

As the morning sunlight streamed in through the partially opened curtains, Téa let out a groan before kicking back the duvet. She sat up, trying to smooth out her bed-head. She cursed as she met a tangle of knots.

Showering in her bathroom, Téa mentally went through her plans for the day. She was meeting up with the gang before her shift at Burger World, and then she was going by the local cram-school for courses_. No harm in seeing if I can get a bit of help in subjects… If it's affordable_

Dried, dressed and filled with a hearty breakfast, Téa grabbed a backpack and put on her rollerblades. She dumped her sandals into the backpack, along with her ID card, keys and her work uniform.

Outside the apartment block, Téa stretched lightly, before launching herself down the street, heading towards the arcade. _Time for some fun with the guys!_

**(88888888)**

"Seto!" Mokuba's voice rang through the hollow hallway. "I'm heading out to town."

Seto poked his head out the doorway of his home office. He couldn't remember a morning in the last two years when Mokuba had voluntarily gotten up so early. "Why are you up so early? Usually I have to drag you out of bed."

Mokuba grinned. "I'm heading out with Yugi and his friends. We're going to the arcade."

Seto hid his expression of unimpressed disbelief and only showed a neutral expression. "Hn. Why do you want to hang out with them?"

"Tristan invited me out last night. He said he wanted to team up with me against Joey and Téa in the 'War Target' video game."

"And what? Yugi wouldn't team up with him because he's squeamish about the violent graphics?" Seto snorted.

Mokuba didn't show his frustration. Now in his teens, he didn't blindly worship Seto, but saw him as a human being with virtues and faults. _Big brother needs to stop being so condescending! He needs to loosen up._ "Nah, he acts as a sort of peacekeeping referee. Apparently, things get a bit competitive between Joey and Tristan in that game."

Seto snorted more softly this time. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a few bills and handed them to Mokuba. He didn't even look at his brother as he said, "have fun." He ducked back into the office.

Mokuba smiled softly, and then jumped into the car as the driver headed towards the arcade.

**(88888888)**

Téa sat on the low windowsill of the arcade, taking off her rollerblades, and replacing them with her sandals. _I made it to the arcade in record time!_ She remarked to herself as she glanced at her watch.

She entered the darkened arcade, looking through the glare of bright screens for her friends. She located them after hearing Joey and Tristan fight over a slice of pizza. She grinned as she sidled over to them. She was a little surprised to see Mokuba there, but wasn't put out all the same. She noticed that his bruise seemed to be healing nicely.

"Hey, guys," Téa greeted.

"Hey Téa," they replied in unison, all grinning.

"Joey, here's your DVD back. I really loved Hit-Girl!" Téa exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing, huh?"

"Are you guys talking about Kick-Ass?" Mokuba queried.

Téa smiled at him. "Yes, have you seen it?"

"Sure I have. But, uh, please don't tell Seto! I don't think he'd be too happy if he knew that I watched a film that was rated for eighteen year olds."

Joey grinned at him. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."

"So, is everyone up for a game of 'War Target'?" Téa smiled at them, changing the subject. Looking over at Tristan, she said, "are you ready to get your ass handed to you?"

Tristan crooked his arm around Mokuba, bringing him close. He placed a foot on the table and dramatically pointed to Téa and Joey. "You guys are going down today! I've got Mokuba - you guys are doomed!"

"Oh yeah?" Joey asked, his chin protruding from the rest of his face in a creepy fashion. "We'll see about that."

At that, everyone raced over to the unoccupied seats. Tristan selected the player modes, war location, and limitations. "Ok, we're playing on Earth, in a rocky desert, in 2050 AD. Mokuba and I are the invading Martians, while you and Téa are the defending humans," he explained. "No vehicles or minions. Pick your weapons!"

Joey picked up a machine gun and some grenades. Téa equipped herself with a bazooka and smoke bombs. Tristan opted for a heat-sensing laser gun and arm-shield. Mokuba chose the landmines and a revolver. They all lined up at their individual stations to play the game.

As the game counted down, Yugi placed himself between Tristan and Joey. Yugi watched as Tristan's gun located Joey and fired at him. Joey's character dodged out of the way. He flung a grenade in Tristan's direction. Tristan jumped away from the grenade as Mokuba shot Joey the left bicep. His HP went down by twenty percent.

Téa protected Joey by unleashing a smoke bomb which clouded Tristan and Mokuba's screens, as they retreated behind a rock. As the smoke cleared, Tristan focused his laser on the rock that was sheltering Téa and Joey. Mokuba placed some landmines in a semi-circle around the rock, which was not shown on Téa and Joey's screens. Mokuba backed off slowly. Tristan blasted three bursts of the laser at the rock, sending virtual shards of rock flying in all directions on the screen.

Yugi grinned to himself, studying the screens. It looked like Tristan and Mokuba were giving Joey and Téa a run for their money. _Tristan must be stoked. He might finally beat Joey and Téa at this._ Yugi was impressed with Mokuba's performance. _He's better than I had anticipated._

Téa jumped out with her bazooka, and blasted it at Tristan. There was no time for him to react. His weapons were shattered and his character's body collapsed onto the virtual ground before dissolving.

"Dammit!" Tristan cursed. He was no longer a participant in the game. _It's now up to Mokuba to salvage our pride._

Meanwhile, Joey had thrown a grenade at Mokuba. As he moved out of the explosions range, Mokuba released one shot which hit Joey's thigh. Instead of retreating, Joey took a few steps forward with his machine gun ready to fire. His foot landed on a hidden landmine. A white light and thunderous sounds signalled his death. Téa, who had been standing nearby, was knocked over by the blast. She suffered fifteen percent damage.

"Wha-?" Joey exclaimed. "No friggin' way!"

Mokuba and Téa were now the final contenders. It was one on one.

Téa released a smoke bomb in attempt to gain an advantage over Mokuba. Mokuba backed away, constantly facing the dust that hid Téa. He saw part of the bazooka protruding through the smoke, and aimed his revolver at her. He aimed for where he estimated her body to be.

On her screen, Téa saw Mokuba take aim at her. She raised the bazooka and rolled over out of his range. A white light filled her screen and once more the thunderous sound was heard. _Shit! I landed on a mine!_

"Yeah! Go Mokuba!" Tristan rejoiced. He high-fived the younger Kaiba brother.

Mokuba grinned up at him. "We kicked ass!"

Joey let out a groan of defeat, while Téa just congratulated Mokuba.

Tristan smirked at Joey. He puffed up his chest. "You know the rules. Loser buys lunch!"

Joey growled. "Yeah, I know. Chinese takeaway anyone?"

They all nodded. Yugi piped up. "We can eat it at the game shop." His suggestion was met with noises of agreement.

"Right. That's that settled. I'll get the food, while you guys head to Yugi's."

**(88888888)**

Seto Kaiba didn't look at the pale blue file his detective had left on the desk. Instead, he focused his attention on the man sitting in front of his desk. He waited for the middle-aged man to finish his oral report.

"-and after confirmation of these samples, we had the analyst delete the results and destroy the samples. We then sent in our own men to do a more thorough job. No trace of DNA was left behind. We left the paper trail of you paying for the services; otherwise it might have looked a bit odd…" The thin man trailed off, uncertain of whether or not he had interpreted his employer's will correctly. His hands were soaked with sweat and he silently prayed that the thin coat of sweat on his hairline was not visible to his terrifying, young employer. Nonetheless, he did his best to keep a level head. He kept a rigid, upright posture, and a slightly tense expression.

Frankly, Seto was a little surprised that the man had left the paper trail. It made the whole situation look a lot less sordid, should it ever be discovered. _This detective… he obviously has brains. He also knows when to not stick his nose in. Interesting. _Seto spent a few moments looking throught the paper work. His expression never betrayed his emotions at the revelation that stared up at him from the white paper. The black print was glaring up at him, demanding attention.

The detective suppressed his little jump of surprise when Kaiba cleared his throat. "I'm pleased with the quick, discreet work."

"Th-thank you, Mr. Kaiba," replied the thin man, who was bowled over with surprise. Was this really _the_ Seto Kaiba he had heard all those vicious rumours about? The tough boss who fired all the employees at the mansion after Mokuba's first kidnapping? Was this the young man whose cold presence was infamous in business circles in Japan, who could rip a individual's esteem to shreds with a few words and disparaging glare? This was quite the opposite of what he had expected.

Seto waved his hand to dismiss the man. A few second after the door had clicked after the detective, Seto pulled the file in front of him and opened it again. The black ink was a stark contrast to the bleached white paper. He inhaled freely, now that no one was present to see his reaction. The file stated that sample 'omega' (himself) shared some DNA with sample 'VII' (Gardner). They shared a father.

_I'm… I'm related to Téa Gardner… She's Yugi's friend. My half-sister is my enemy's childhood friend!_ Though no one was around to observe it, Seto's eyes had widened in shock, and he was breathing shortly and sharply. He could feel the blood coursing through his system and he could hear it thumping in his ears. _What do I do now?_

**(88888888)**

After a hard day of work, Seto Kaiba was exhausted. Normally, he would never be so tired, but the news of his half-sister had emotionally drained him. Looking through his personal mobile phone, he noticed that he had a voicemail. Checking it, he was surprised that it was from Mokuba.

"Hey, Seto!" Mokuba's voice chirped through the speakers. "I'm just calling to let you know that I've invited Yugi, Joey and Tristan over to the house to play a few video games. I hope you don't mind. See you later, big bro!"

Seto stared down at the mobile phone, and resisted the urge to fling it away. _What is that kid up to?_ _Why was Mokuba suddenly hanging out with Yugi and the other dweebs?_ Seto pondered this as the car drove to his home. Sure, Yugi and his friends had always been kind to Mokuba, even after he tried to steal Yugi's star-chips. Did Mokuba feel like he owed them? Unlikely, Seto concluded. Mokuba just probably enjoyed their company. Hell, they were probably more fun to be around than he was.

That thought stung Seto ever so slightly. It wasn't a shock or anything, but this was one of the rare moments that Seto wished he could loosen up and be a fun, older brother, much like when he and Mokuba had been younger.

His train of thought was interrupted by the slight lurch of the car stopping outside the front door of his house. With his briefcase in his left hand, Seto stuck out his free hand to open the front door. As the gap in the door widened, he heard carefree laughter. _When was the last time that was heard in this house so openly?_

Squashing the tiny amount of guilt that had formed in the pit of his stomach, Seto walked to his personal office to dump his briefcase before heading to his bedroom to change his clothes. He passed the gaming room, and it was here that the laughter was loudest - Mokuba was obviously in there with Yugi and his friends. He quietly grunted to himself. _Well, Mokuba's happy… Though, the thought of those idiots in this house doesn't sit well with me._

After changing into black slacks, a black long-sleeved shirt and a loose gray trench coat, Seto headed for the kitchen. However, his journey was interrupted when the doors of the gaming room burst open, and a ball of blue and blonde knocked into Seto's legs.

"What the-!"

Seto maintained his balance. He looked down at his feet to see Joey Wheeler, at his feet, trying to regain his focus.

"Oww."

By now, Mokuba, Tristan and Yugi had joined Seto and Joey in the hallway. Their laughter lessened upon seeing Seto Kaiba's less-than-happy expression.

"Oh, hey, Seto." Mokuba greeted, interrupting the silence before Joey and Seto could begin sniping at one another. "How was work?"

Seto tore his dismissing gaze from Joey, and instead looked at his younger brother. His expression returned to neutral as he replied, "fine, thanks for asking."

"Nyeh, sorry 'bout that Kaiba."

"Hn. Whatever. Watch where you're going next time, Wheeler," Seto tossed over his shoulder as he continued down the hallway. He allowed himself a little smirk.

"What? Why don't you ge- mmph mmn mmph!" Joey's tirade was prevented by Tristan's hand settling over Joey's mouth. He dragged the blonde aside, telling him to shut his yap, and to not put Mokuba in an awkward position.

As Seto disappeared around the corner, Mokuba looked uncomfortable, and almost embarrassed by his brother's behaviour. He didn't exactly know why - it wasn't as though this was the first time Seto has spoken to Joey like that before. He sighed.

Yugi, sensing that Mokuba was feeling out of sorts, smiled brilliantly at the young dark-haired teen. "Mokuba, it's a little late right now. We've to go now, but can you meet with us at my grandpa's shop tomorrow?"

Did they pity him? Did they really want him to join them tomorrow? Mokuba had no way of knowing for sure without asking. Maybe he could ask them later tomorrow, as he certainly didn't feel like asking them now. "Um, sure Yugi. What time should I come around?"

"Hmm, around one o' clock would be good. Will we see you then?"

"Yup," Mokuba smiled, walking with Yugi behind Joey and Tristan as they headed for the door.

"Thanks for having us, Mokuba. Sorry about Big-Mouth here," Tristan apologised, indicating to gagged Joey. The blonde was struggling to remove Tristan's tightly-tied belt from his mouth. He gave a small bow of apology to Mokuba before refocusing on his problem.

"It's okay. Not his fault entirely."

"See you tomorrow, Mokie!"

**(88888888)**

"See you tomorrow, Mokie!" The distant shout echoed through the Kaiba mansion, reaching the ears of Seto. _Mokie…_ Seto was somewhat startled. They were calling his brother Mokie… _That was __his__ nickname for his brother._ His fist clenched slightly.

He had just finished rereading the DNA analysis file on Téa Gardner when Mokuba poked his head around the office door. "Hey, Seto. Are you okay?"

Seto looked up at his younger brother, slightly surprised. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."

"Nothing bad happened at the office, did it?"

"No. It was a good day for the most part. Why do you ask?"

"Well… I don't really know. While you weren't very nice to Joey," Seto didn't even open his mouth to protest or defend himself, "you didn't verbally rip him or Yugi or Tristan to shreds like you normally do. It's kind of out of character for you."

Seto thought for a moment before replying. "I… I understand that you consider them friends. I don't like them, but neither do I want to make things difficult for you either. As people go, you could pick better friends than those idiots… but they probably wouldn't betray you or take advantage of you either."

Mokuba's eyes widened with shock. His brother had just complimented the nerd-herd! Was the world coming to an end? "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Seto? You just complimented 'Yugi's little group'." Mokuba exclaimed, his fingers mimicking quotation marks.

"Yeah, I know I did…"

Mokuba ran for the door. Seto rose from his seat in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"I'm getting the thermometer!" Mokuba shouted back over his shoulder.

Seto allowed himself a little smile at this. _Smart-ass._

**(88888888)**

Of late, Sunday was a busy day for Téa, so it was the one day of the week that Joey, Tristan and Yugi met up for a sort of guys' day out. They had another addition to the team with Mokuba due to Yugi's invitation. It was fair to say that none of the trio minded the young teen's company.

"Guys, have you noticed that Téa's been a little quiet and upset this week?" Joey posed the question to Yugi and Tristan.

"Yeah, actually. She seemed really tired on Monday. She's always busy as well."

Yugi piped up. "She visited her mom's grave last week."

Joey and Tristan paused momentarily. "Oh," they said in unison.

Joey shrugged some tension from his shoulders. "Kinda weird that she didn't tell us, don't you think? Generally she tells us how she's feelin'."

"That's true. I mean, she had a good venting session at Christmas and Easter when she visited her mom's grave. Why didn't she come to us this time?" Tristan wondered.

"I don't really know t-"

The shop door bell jangled, and Mokuba entered. "Uh, hey guys."

Looming over the dark-haired teen's shoulders was his older brother, with his arms folded and a cold air about him. Ignoring Tristan and Joey, Seto Kaiba locked his gaze with Yugi's violet ones. "Yugi, I need to speak with you." He turned his back and walked out the door.

Yugi smiled at Mokuba. "Make yourself at home. I'll be back in a moment."

Tristan gave Joey a hard stare, telling him to keep his mouth shut, before directing Mokuba and Joey to the back of the shop.

Seto waited outside the door, not really considering the possibility that Yugi wouldn't follow. The guy was too kind and always thought the best of everyone. Besides, a respect had developed and deepened between the two professional duellists.

"What's this about, Kaiba?"

"Look Yugi, for whatever reason, Mokuba considers you guys as his friends. I just wanted to make sure that you aren't going to hurt him."

"Kaiba, you've known us for so long, and yet you still think poorly of us. When have we ever betrayed you or Mokuba?"

Seto paused. Everything Yugi said was true. Still, when it came to his little brother, Seto Kaiba was always cautious. "That's true. Better safe than sorry though."

Yugi smiled up at Kaiba. "You know, if you ever want to hang out with us when Mokuba's around, feel free to."

Seto was surprised. He didn't feel the normal sense of annoyance or disgust that Yugi's offer usually brought about. This did not show on his face though. Instead, he let out a "humph", before bidding Yugi goodbye and heading to his car.

**(88888888)**

Téa collapsed into bed exhausted. _Man, what a weekend!_

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the blaring ring of the telephone reverberated in her skull. _What now?_ She dragged herself up out of bed and to the phone stand. Taking the silver hand-phone in her hand, she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Gardner?"

"Yes?"

"This is Seto Kaiba."

To say that Téa was surprised was a bit of an understatement. How did he get her number? She wasn't listed in the phone books. "Wh- Wait… Um, why are you calling?"

She could almost see Kaiba rolling his eyes at her response. "Look… I have something to discuss with you. I'd rather not do so over the phone."

"Um, okay. Could you at least tell me what it's about?"

There was a slight pause. "No, I can't. Tomorrow at six?"

"I can't do that I'm afraid. My shift doesn't end until eight." This was really weird. Seto Kaiba was trying to arrange to meet with her, and he wasn't being a commanding jerk about it. However, he seemed to return to his normal demeanour somewhat, if the derisive snort that travelled through the earpiece was anything to go by.

Téa gritted her teeth. _We can't all jump at your beck and call._ She suppressed an angry sigh.

"Right. Is there any time that would suit you?" _Jeez, don't make it sound so forced Kaiba!_

Hmm… Téa considered the normal working hours of a salary man and her own schedule. "Anytime on Tuesday, after five is good for me. Kaiba, is this urgent?"

"No. Not to either of us, I think."

"Is it Duel Monsters related? Because I am telling you now that I won't tell you anything about Yugi's deck or-"

"Gardner, shut it. It's not anything to do with Duel Monsters, okay?" Kaiba snapped. "It's important, but not urgent. You might even consider it more important than I do."

"Okay." Téa growled back. "What time Tuesday?"

"Six thirty. I'll pick you up at your apartment."

Téa was kind of surprised that he offered to pick her up. Her anger quenched. "Oh, thanks. Um, see you so."

"Goodbye." There was a slight click.

Téa looked down at the phone in surprise. Why was Kaiba acting so weird? What was so important that he had to talk to her in person? Generally he did his best to avoid her if they ever crossed paths. What was going on?

Téa plonked the phone back into the stand. She tiredly dragged herself back to the bliss of her bed. She fell asleep before she could contemplate what Kaiba wished to discuss.

**(88888888)**

'**War Target' is obviously a figment of my imagination. I made up the bad, obvious title so that I wouldn't have to explain it too much. It sounds crappy because I've very little experience with video games in general. Apologies to any gamers I have disappointed or insulted with my ignorance.**

**A special thanks to all who were kind enough to review to share thoughts, reactions and criticisms. **

**A lot of scene changes in this... and some scenes are quite short... Review to make suggestions, corrections and comments. Thanks.**


	6. Oh My Father

_**Previously: **__Mokuba has begun to hang out with Yugi's gang. Seto received confirmation that Téa is his sister. He was surprised that Mokuba had Yugi, Joey and Tristan over at the house. Seto contacted Téa and arranged to meet with her, but he didn't tell her what he wished to discuss._

**Chapter 6 - Oh My Father**

Sunday had been a good day for Mokuba. He'd had fun at Yugi's with the guys. In a round-about way, he managed to ask if it was a pity playdate. Warm smiles and kind words assured him that this was not the case.

It was weird, Mokuba reflected. He was making friends with his brother's competitor. He was having a good time, and was experiencing a feeling of belonging with Yugi's group. Somehow, he didn't feel like he was betraying Seto…

At least that was how he felt until Monday evening. Seto had returned home and immediately Mokuba noticed how tense his brother was. His posture was stiff and there was an angry strain around his eyes.

Mokuba's initial reaction was _is he angry that I'm hanging out with Yugi?_ While that thought remained, Seto said nothing of the sort to Mokuba. _Seto would tell me if he had a problem with who I hang out with… Wouldn't he? If it's not me hanging with Yugi, then what's the matter?_

Mokuba felt like he was skating with hot blades on thin ice. The knots in his stomach kept writhing throughout the quiet dinner. It soon became too much for Mokuba. Just after the servant who had delivered the dessert left the room, Mokuba asked Seto what was wrong.

"Hmm?"

"Look, Seto, are you angry with me? For hanging out with Yugi and his friends?"

Seto looked at the worry in his younger brother's eyes. He didn't like the way his skin was creased with anxiety. "No. I thought we sorted this already."

"But why else are you so tense?"

Seto tensed further at this. _Damn, he noticed._ Seto sighed. "It's nothing you've to worry about Mokuba."

"But Seto-"

"Drop it, Mokuba." Seto's tone had come out harsher than he had intended.

Mokuba's eyes dropped to his bowl, and watched some melted icecream dribble to form a pool at the base.

_Fuck._ Seto inhaled, and tried to mellow himself out somewhat. He was tense. He was meeting Gardner tomorrow, and was becoming anxious. He wanted to know of her reaction now. Not later.

"Mokuba, I'm-"

"It's fine." Mokuba curtly interrupted. "I stuck my nose where it's not wanted."

Seto was surprised. This was the angriest he had heard Mokuba sound. It wasn't the usual, adoring tone of his brother. _He is a teenager… hormones maybe?_ he wondered, trying to push the notion that Mokuba was pissed off by his reaction to the back of his head.

"Mokuba," Seto began, adopting an authoritarian tone. "It's nothing you need to know about. You know I'd tell you if something big was going on."

"Right. Goodnight." Mokuba stood up and left the dining room.

_Mokuba?_

**(88888888)**

_Arrgh! _Mokuba slammed the door after himself. _You're… You don't seem to trust me Seto! You never tell me when anything important is bothering you… Do you still see me as a child?_

_Heh, possibly after how I reacted. Damn you, Seto._

Mokuba let out a frustrated growl.

**(88888888)**

Téa was only a little tired after her shift on Tuesday. Her mind was bright and awake, but her muscles were begging for a long rest in front of the television.

She had just popped the groceries onto the kitchen counter when her phone began to play its cheerful jingle. She pulled the phone out of her blue linen shorts and looked at the screen.

**Reminder: Meeting Kaiba**

_Oh yeah… I had almost forgotten. What does Kaiba want to talk to me about?_ Téa mused as she put her groceries into the cupboards and presses. _He said it wasn't Duel Monsters related. Other than school, that's all we have in common._

She put the jar of relish and the jar of raspberry jam into the dry stores cupboard.

_It's unlikely to be about school. Kaiba could get the best professors in the world to help him if he was having difficulty (and wasn't a prodigy)._

She put a bag of wholemeal flour into the low press.

_We didn't get much homework for the holidays. Maybe it's about revision?_

The apples, apricots and bananas joined the grapes and oranges in the fruit bowl.

_Why couldn't he talk to me about it over the phone?_

The milk was put in the fridge with the strawberry yoghurt.

_Whatever it's about, I'll be finding out soon enough,_ she thought as she glanced up at her smiley-faced clock that hung on the side of the kitchen units.

Raising her arm, she smelled her body odour. _Eeew. I need a shower._

After showering with her apricot scrub, Téa dressed in a green, short-sleeved turtle-neck, a pair of black, mid-thigh shorts and her black platform shoes. _Man, I really need to do my laundry._

So, while waiting for the hour of six thirty to arrive, Téa had put on a load of washing, finished washing this morning's breakfast dishes and tidied the dishes away. She also put a beef stew she had made at the weekend on the hob to simmer gently while she was out talking with Kaiba.

It was at six twenty-seven that Téa's doorbell rang. She answered the door, to be greeted with a rather grumpy looking Kaiba.

_I haven't even said one word to him and already he looks pissed off. _"Hello, Kaiba, just let me get my jacket."

"Right. Just don't take all day."

She grabbed her blue denim jacket from the back of a chair and followed Kaiba's billowing cloak out of her apartment complex and into his car.

_No driver this time… And it's not a limo. It's a fairly non-descript car, except for the tinted windows._ Téa sat into the car and looked expectantly at Kaiba.

"So… What did you want to talk about? I mean, what's so important we couldn't talk over the phone?" Téa quizzed, half-expecting Kaiba to snap at her, and half-expecting to answer. " I mean, other than Duel Monsters the only other thing we have in common is school so…"

"You're wrong there," Kaiba muttered, mainly to himself. However, Téa heard him.

"What does that mean?" Her tone was not angry nor accusatory, but rather a mix of curiosity and confusion.

"I'll tell you in a minute." Kaiba replied while steering the car to a rest area that overlooked the Domino City's ocean.

There were very few cars out at this time, despite it being summer. The sun was low in the sky, and its light bounced off of the ocean, sometimes blinding Téa momentarily. A few cars had passed down the road as Kaiba parked the car. Téa had watched them, if only as a distraction to the absolute, awkward silence in the car.

_This is really weird and really awkward. What the hell is going on?_

She noticed the white of his knuckles just before he released his tight grip on the steering wheel. She was wondering what was making him so tense, when his head revolved around to catch her gaze.

Téa's breath paused to take in the scenery of her throat momentarily. _He looks like he's being threatened. That cool glare…_

Before Téa had a chance to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, Kaiba began to speak.

"Look Gardner, there is one reason I dragged you out here to meet privately. It was to ensure that there would be no way of anyone knowing about what I have to tell you. Understood?" He demanded. She nodded mutely. She had decided to let him speak uninterrupted - some gut instinct told her to just listen and not to speak.

"Good. I'd hate for anyone to know about this until I've had time to fully assess the situation."

_Then why are you telling me now? Why not later?_

"Hnn… You never knew your father, did you?"

Téa's head jerked back in shock. What the hell did Kaiba want to talk about? She could feel the adrenaline beginning to seep into her system as her defences rose abruptly. For now, she decided to maintain her silence.

Kaiba eyed her, noticing a defensive look in her eyes. "Do you know anything about him?"

"…No, I don't. Why do you ask? "

Kaiba inhaled deeply. Téa was quite frankly surprised to see him do so. There was just so much emotion in that one simple act - frustration, anger and perhaps the tiniest hint of sadness.

"I had a suspicion that my biological father, not Kaiba by the way, had an affair. I investigated, mainly to check if there were any offspring…"

Téa could feel her guts rolling. Her breathing was slightly shallower, yet she could feel her heart pick up pace. _Why is Seto Kaiba telling me this? It couldn't mean anything, right?_

Seto for his part, was doing his level best to keep the anger he felt out of his voice. Why was he thrown into this situation? He couldn't quite fathom why he had decided to tell Gardner this. It was an uncomfortable idea for him.

"You and I share the same father, Gardner." _There, I've said it._

Seto noticed her eyes widen, and her breathing quickened. Her breathing pattern was also slightly irregular. _She seems to be okay._

After swallowing a few gulps of oxygen, Téa finally raised her eyes to meet Seto's once more. "A-are… are you sure? You could be mistaken…"

Seto rolled his eyes. He replied in quiet, gruff voice. "You weren't the only sample that I had tested against my DNA. I am damn sure of it. Think a little. Do you honestly think I would tell you if I wasn't sure?"

Téa could feel her eyes watering. _My father… I can finally learn…_ "Why are you telling me this? What do you gain, Kaiba? Surely me knowing that I'm related to you puts you at a disadvantage? There really isn't anything for you in this."

"The reason I'm telling you this is that I wanted to gauge your reaction."

Téa looked at him in surprise.

"I cannot protect Mokuba or myself if I don't know what is and isn't a threat." Seto's eyes were focused sharply on her. He was noting every muscle movement and filing it away in his brain for further analysis.

"Threat…?" Téa half-whispered. _Isn't that a bit OTT?_ Logic argued though, that after all the Kaiba brothers had been through, it was understandable… it didn't explain everything, but it allowed Téa to understand Seto's actions a little more.

"Does Mokuba know?"

Seto wasn't too surprised that she asked. She seemed to be the caring type. "No. I haven't told him."

"Are you going to?"

"… I don't know." Téa was surprised by his honesty. "Gardner, I telling you now, do not tell anyone that you're related to me. I don't need anymore problems."

"And you need to tell Mokuba…"

"Yes. But not even your geeky little friends can know."

Téa snorted indignantly, but ignored the insult for now. "Don't worry. I won't. I've barely processed this myself. And… I don't really know how they'd react."

There was a long pause before she continued. "Can… Would you tell me something about… him." She wasn't quite sure how to address the man who was her father in front of his legitimate offspring. Dad? Father? Pops? Papa?

"He was a hard worker. Quite intelligent. He was an economic scientist."

Téa blinked heavily as she absorbed the bit of information she was just given. "Wow. So he was smart, like you?"

Seto merely grunted as he started up the engine of his car.

Frankly, Téa was still absorbing the news. Finally, she knew who her father was. She could finally find out about the man whose DNA she shared, even if Seto Kaiba was the only source. Her father was an intelligent, respectable man; he was not some druggie that her mother had met on the streets and banged. Maybe her birth was the result of a real relationship… but what of Kaiba's mother…?

As they drove down the road with the sunset behind them, Téa reflected on how difficult it must have been for Kaiba to admit all that. The silence between the two was cool and didn't invite any conversation. She glanced up at Kaiba from the corner of her eye, and noted his tightened jaw.

She cleared her throat. Her watering eyes focused upon the cold teen to her right, her brother. "Um, Kaiba, thank you. I wanted you to know… this means so much to me. I mean it's so great that I can finally learn more about my father. I've never really had a chance to get to know who my father was, so-"

Seto cut her off. "Fine. Just don't go all weepy on me."

The rest of the car ride was tense. The brakes of the car seemed to squeak more loudly than before as Seto pulled up in front of Téa's apartment block.

Stepping out of the car, Téa summoned some courage and turned to face Seto Kaiba. She used the door to keep her balance as she stuck her head in, "I really am thankful, Kaiba. And you don't have to worry about me being a threat. There's no way I'd put you or Mokuba in any danger."

"I think this is a case of actions speak louder than words, Gardner," Seto replied, before pulling back into traffic.

**I know this is short, but I think this chapter should end here. There's more to come - I'm going to have some little problems in store for these two.  
>Thanks for all the reviews in the last chapter - I really appreciated them. Please review to make suggestions, corrections and comments. :) <strong>


	7. Set Back

_**Previously:**_ _Mokuba and Seto had a small fight. Téa met with Seto and he told her that they were half-siblings. Not much information was exchanged._

**Chapter 7 - Set back  
><strong>

Although Mokuba was still emotionally stinging after his argument with his brother, he didn't mope around the house. Rather, he was looked for any excuse to leave the house and thus avoid his older brother. Gardening, cinema, ice cream, book reports and even a visit to the archaeological society were all excuses used to avoid his older brother.

_Thank goodness that Yugi invited me to the arcade. I really do not want to be home when big brother gets back from the office today. _He felt a little guilty about his reaction to Seto's lack of information.

"_Drop it, Mokuba._"

_Seto hasn't spoken to me like that in years_, Mokuba shuddered. _Before… his first duel with Yugi. His guard is back up..._

Standing in front of the bright yellow arcade, Mokuba stretched to relieve the tension in his muscles and to shake off his bad mood. He wandered into the arcade, pausing a few moments to allow his eyes adjust to the light level.

He spotted Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Téa over by the racing games and trotted over to them. "Hey, guys."

"Hey. Mokuba." They greeted in unison.

Mokuba settled beside Tristan as they watched Joey's screen. "So, how are you all?"

Variances of good and fine answered Mokuba's question. Mokuba noticed that Téa seemed a bit preoccupied. Her eyes had a glazed quality and didn't move around to follow the action on the screen. _This is possibly the most expressionless I've seen Téa, except for that time when Marik was controlling her._

Quietly, so as not to disrupt Joey's concentration, he sidled over to Téa. "You okay?"

She blinked. The glazed look faded. Something flitted across her expression before she gave Mokuba a warm smile. "Of course."

_What was that look be-_

"I WON!"

All heads turned to Joey in response to his outburst. The gang just laughed at his loudness before cheering in support.

Surveying the happy scene, Mokuba paused momentarily to reflect. _This__ is what I want for Seto. _The good mood permeated the rest of the afternoon, and Mokuba temporarily forgot his troubles and worries.

**(88888888)**

Daydreaming was Téa's excuse for colliding into someone on the street. Fate was the reason that that someone was Mokuba.

"Sorry! Oh. Hey, Mokuba." Téa smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry too," Mokuba replied. "I wasn't really watching where I was going."

"Same here." They grinned at one another.

Mokuba began walking with Téa. "What had you so zoned out?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just daydreaming."

"About dancing in America?" Mokuba smiled.

"Yeah," Téa smiled softly. "But what about you?"

"I was kinda… thinking." Mokuba's face had darkened. His tone had dropped, and caused Téa to look at him in worry.

"Something unpleasant?"

Mokuba glanced up at Téa. There was a soft compassionate look in her eyes that made him want to offload all his troubles. _What the hell. She isn't going to go spilling my problems._

"Yes. Me and Seto had an argument… I handled it badly."

Téa's brow creased. "What would you guys fight about?" They had now reached an ice-cream parlour, and Téa ordered some chocolate milkshakes.

"It's just… Seto has been really worried about something recently. I asked him about it, but he refused to tell me. He's always keeping secrets lately… shutting me out." Mokuba's shoulders slumped even further.

_Was Kaiba worried about my reaction maybe?_ Téa smiled brightly at Mokuba. "I'm sure it won't last long Mokuba. You guys are the closest siblings I've ever seen. Whatever it was, I'm sure Kaiba didn't want to trouble you with it."

"But I want to help! Seto's always taking these burdens on his own! He shouldn't have to…" Mokuba trailed off.

"Have you told him this?" Téa asked softly.

"…No."

"Have you guys ever had a fight like this before?"

"No. It's a big fight for us…"

"So neither of you guys know how to make up, do you?"

"…No."

_This is kind of sweet… and kind of sad. _"Well, all you've to do is say sorry."

"Huh?" Was that a bit of fear in Mokuba's eyes?

"S. O. R. R. Y." Téa spelled out. "Sorry. Just apologise."

"But I want Seto to stop keeping secrets! If I just apologise, he'll keep on hiding his problems."

"Well, try explaining that to him." Téa encouraged. "But to be honest, Kaiba probably has a good reason for not telling you. You are still a kid, Mokuba."

Mokuba did his best to not scowl. _She doesn't seem to get it. _"I'll think about it."

Téa beamed in response. "Great! Now, wanna go to the arcade?"

"Sure!" He agreed, plastering on a giant smile to hide his dissatisfaction with the conversation.

**(88888888)**

Mokuba and Téa collapsed in laughter onto the cheap plastic seats of the fast food restaurant.

"A-a-and when the kid-! When the kid slipped!"

"Into the girl's lap!" Téa giggled.

"Oh man! I thought I'd burst out laughing in front of him." Mokuba snickered.

"Yeah. I had to turn my head away…"

"Me too. It was fun though. I wish… I wish Seto would do stuff like this with me…" He trailed off, with his gaze transfixed on the corner of the small table.

Téa's heart contracted at the site. _Mokuba really just wants to spend time with his older brother… Is he too afraid to ask?_

When Mokuba raised his head a second later, the wishful look has no longer present, but a smile of gratitude graced his face. "Téa, thanks for today and for cheering me up."

She grinned at him. "No problem. Just return the favour in future, 'kay?"

"Sure. Of course, only if you'll ever need it."

"Great. Hey, Mokuba, the weather on Friday is supposed to be beautiful. I was thinking we should go to the beach. Want to come with me and the guys?"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome."

"Aaaaaand maybe we can blackmail your brother into coming with us…?"

A light lit up in Mokuba's eyes at the suggestion, but quickly extinguished itself. "Uh, Seto will probably be working."

"You mean to tell me that he has the time to go to a number of Duel Tournaments, but he doesn't have the time to take his little brother to the beach?"

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that-"

"No, it's not. Don't you worry Mokuba. I'll handle your brother." The determined, almost scary look in her eyes left Mokuba with no doubts. He and Seto were going to the beach.

**(88888888)**

"Are you sure that it's the same kid?" A deep male voice questioned.

A high-pitch, soft spoken voice replied. "Yes. We got copies of the original documents from the orphanage. It's the same Seto."

"Hmm…"

The woman's high voice continued. "From what information is available online, we're going to have to handle him carefully."

"Most certainly."

"But before that, we've more investigating to do... on his company, finances, and the people around him. Also, investigate his younger brother Mokuba thoroughly as well."

"Yes, he may be an easy lever for us to use."

Chuckles of agreement spread around the room, but did little to abate the unnerving atmosphere. The maid shuddered outside the door. She calmed her nerves, and waited to be called in for her orders.

**(88888888)**

Téa had the whole beach trip planned, including how to dupe the elder Kaiba into accompanying the gang. In a week's time, her part of the plan would take action – but for now, Mokuba had to do his part.

Téa smiled encouragingly. "You can do this, Mokuba. It won't be difficult once you start, I promise."

Mokuba smiled, though in an unconfident manner as Téa gently squeezed his arm. He looked down, and decided to down his glass of orange juice to wet his throat. It did nothing to clear the little lump forming. It wasn't a painful lump, but he was aware of it all the same.

The door swung in, and Seto strode into his kitchen. He quickly halted upon seeing Téa. He eyed the duo suspiciously, waiting for either of them to make a move.

Téa looked back at Mokuba with a bright beaming smile. "You can do this. I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

She calmly walked out the door, Mokuba noted that it was unusual that she did not say anything to Seto, or even look at him. _Wouldn't she give him a meaningful look or something...?_

Mokuba pushed the thought out of his head as he felt Seto's full attention focus on him. "...Seto. I have something I'd like to say."

"Go ahead."

Mokuba resisted the urge to fiddle with the hem of his shirt or to look down at his feet. He straightened up his back, and stared at a spot just below Seto's left ear. "About the argument... I'm sorry. The, uh, the reason I've been avoiding you since... Seto... I feel like you don't trust me. You shut me out. A-and you treat me like a kid."

As Mokuba spoke, he could feel his anger and frustration rise to the surface, and fought not to let it waiver his voice. His right fist clenched. He inhaled deeply before carrying on.

Seto was surprised by Mokuba's resigned, adult sigh. "Seto, there's only the two of us in this family. We need to look out for each other, and trust one another. But... I feel as though I'm still a nuisance to you, big brother. I think you still see me as a child. But! But I'm not! I'm the same age as you were when you took over KaibaCorp from Gozaburo! Just...!"

Mokuba trailed off as he once again inhaled to calm his nerves. Seto took the time to speak.

"Mokuba, the stuff I worry about is none of your business."

Mokuba felt his stomach drop at his brother's cool tone.

"It's for me to worry about, and not you. I'm the adult here, not you."

Mokuba's throat felt constricted. The lump there increased in pain. It was tight and sore.

"You knowing about and worrying about my problems is of no benefit to no one, so don't bother yourself about it. Are we clear?" Seto raised his brow slightly.

Mokuba's eyes felt hot and dry.

"Perfectly," he managed to spit out through clenched teeth. His eyes watered dangerously, as though summoned to cure the dryness, but only surved to add to the heat of them.

Seto was taken aback by Mokuba's fierce expression and harsh tone. However, he was also a little angry at what he saw as his younger brother's unreasonable rebellion.

"Mokuba-" he began in a stern tone. However, Mokuba storming past him shocked him into silence. He recovered quickly and followed his brother, who had been stopped for questioning by Téa. Upon Seto's arrival, Mokuba stalked away to his bedroom, leaving behind a stunned Seto and Téa.

Téa decided it would be best to let Mokuba cool down, and turned to face Seto. She knew she had an angry, perhaps judgemental, expression on her face, but despite her efforts, she couldn't cover it up. She cleared her thraot before speaking, to dislodge the voice of frustration that was itching to get out. "What happened?"

Seto coolly stared down on the fiery brunette. "I told him that it wasn't appropriate for him to know about the things I worry about. What's it to you, Gardner?"

Téa smothered the anger welling up in her. She could easily understand Mokuba's anger and frustration with his uncooperative brother. "He feels like you don't trust him. He feels distanced from his big brother."

"It's not any of your business, Gardner. And let's be honest here, you probably wouldn't care so much, or be as interfering but for what we discussed."

Téa could feel her hackles rising. "It is NOT just because of that!- You jerk! You know I'm not like that!"

Seto merely gave her a dismissive glance as he swept past her. "Whatever. Just don't go interfering with my family."

Téa's eyes were stinging with hot tears as she suppressed the urge to cry. She stomped out of the Kaiba mansion. Outside, she put her hand over her mouth, and started to steady her breath. She waited until her breathing was normal and her eyes were feeling cooler, before heading back inside up to Mokuba's bedroom.

She gently knocked on the door, before pushing it open. "Mokuba...?"

"What?" Mokuba dully replied from a corner of the room.

Téa walked over to him, and sat on the floor next to his chair. "Would it be an understatement to say it didn't go well?"

Mokuba grunted confirmation. "He didn't say he was sorry for his part in the argument. He only made me angry again."

Téa had to wince at his low, depressed tone. _This isn't how it should be..._

"I bet you're feeling frustrated. Wanna go work it off with me?"

He blankly looked at her. His expression softened somewhat, and he nodded an agreement. "Yeah. It might be best if I got out of the house for awhile..."

**(88888888)**

The two hopped into the car with a backpack each. Seto watched until the car had pulled out of his estate and onto the public road.

He sighed as he sat down. He could understand Mokuba wanting to share the burden, but Seto had allowed that to happen all too often in the past. He had not allowed Mokuba to have the naivitie of childhood. Mokuba was always aware of his problems – it wasn't right of fair. Why should both of them miss out on the freedom of childhood? Besides, now was not the right time to be discussing it with Mokuba, when Seto hadn't even decided whether or not Téa would become acknowledged as family to them. He had to make that decision before he could confide in his younger brother.

He turned back to his desktop, to be greeted with a new worry.

**(88888888)**

**A/N: This chapter is for my friend Emilia, and I'm sorry it's late :P  
><strong>Cripes - it has been a LONG time since I posted a chapter here... No wonder my writing is so jerky.

BTW, it looks like chapter 8 is going to be pretty long.

Please let me know what you think - what's good, what's bad? What do you think is going to happen? Have you any suggestions for improvement (let's face it, without constructive criticism, my writing will not get any better)?


	8. Sorry, Sorry

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: **_In this fic, **Domino City is a melting pot of various cultures** (a bit like Republic City in the 'Legend of Korra'), where there are American, Asian and European influences primarily. There are people of many descents in it – the Kaiba brothers are of Japanese descent, Téa is of French descent.

Regarding **age restrictions**, I have opted for the European ones – e.g. in Japan, one can drink and smoke at 20, in America, 21. However in Europe, it varies in around **16-18**. I feel this would give more freedom and responsibility to the characters.

Also, **Duel Monsters isn't well-known to those not interested** – if one is interested in it, one recognises Yugi and Seto, etc. However, if one doesn't participate in it, one will not recognise noteworthy duellists. In this way, the Kaiba brothers have been able to lead a relatively normal life.

_**Previously: **__After the argument, Mokuba avoided his older brother. He confided in Téa about his problems. Strangers discussed investigating the Kaiba brothers. Seto and Mokuba's argument escalated. _

**Chapter 8 – Sorry, Sorry**

So far, Téa's beach trip plans were frozen and unmoving as Seto and Mokuba hadn't made up. She was mentally trying to rescue the plan as she and Mokuba worked off their frustration and focused on having fun in the batting cages. The activity seemed to have distracted Mokuba, and his trademark smile was back on his face.

Tristan had showed up, and Téa looked on as he showed Mokuba his 'secret special move', which he claimed always hit the mark (though his demonstrations begged to differ).

Téa was so distracted with her thoughts that she failed to notice the light bouncing off of a large camera lens in the corridor.

**(88888888)**

However, one person who did notice he was being checked up on was Seto Kaiba. Being the technological genius that he was, he had set up some security measures after so many attempts on his and Mokuba's lives.

He opened the red flashing envelope on his home computer, frowning slightly. People had been checking up on Seto Kaiba's business affairs and methods. However, he was more disturbed that someone had accessed Seto and Mokuba Seguchi's files at the orphanage. The IP addresses were different, so was it just a coincidence?...

His phone alarm went off, reminding him on an important video meeting, and he marked the security alert important, before closing it and gathering his notes for the meeting.

**(88888888)**

The trio split up after an hour spent in the batting cages; Tristan and Mokuba went off to the arcade to meet with Yugi and Joey while Téa headed off to work.

She was still absorbed in her thoughts as she skated down the street. _Mokuba already tried extending the olive branch. I don't think he's too keen to try it again... He's quite different to how he was a few years ago,_ she noted. _So... looks like Seto will have to be the one to say sorry first. Now, how am I going to make that happen?_ She sighed at the sheer impossibility of the task, and debated whether or not to convince Mokuba to try again with his brother.

By the time she had arrived at work, she had concluded that Mokuba would need time to cool off even more before she could encourage him to make up with his brother. It hadn't crossed her mind that it might not be her place to interfere, as Kaiba had told her earlier.

An hour later, her work rhythm was disrupted by her co-worker Laura, when she grabbed onto Téa's arm with a suppressed squeal.

"Hot boys alert!" she whispered to Téa, before giving her a cheeky look and sauntering over to the tables filled with the invasion of men. Gym bags and wet hair suggested that they were a part of some sort of sports team.

Téa watched as Laura smiled brilliantly while tidying the previous customer's wrappings from the tables. She almost skipped over to Téa, who followed her behind the counter.

Laura's shoulders shot back when one of the young men approached the counter, and her pearly smile was stretched back prettily. She took the man's order, gave him another attractive smile as she assured him that his order would be brought over to him.

Laura plopped two trays into Téa's arms and shuffled three into her own before they headed over to the tables. "Here's your order."

Rushing back behind the counter, Laura elbowed Téa with a wink. "Did you see them looking at us? Huh? Do you think the cute blonde was looking at me?"

"Hmm... yeah, he might have," Téa replied, not knowing if the blonde had been looking at Laura, or the double beef cheeseburger he had ordered.

"I know, right? And I think the smokey-eyed Mediterranean guy was looking at you." She cooed at Téa, before bouncing back to the chipper.

_Pfft. As if._ She merely continued on with her work, and paid those eating already no attention as she cleared tables and turned frying meat. Suffice to say, she was pretty surprised when she nearly walked into someone.

"Oh! Sorry," she apologised. She looked up at the man – it was Mr. Mediterranean Laura had mentioned earlier. "Are you ok?"

He smiled. "Yes, I'm fine thanks."

_No accent,_ Téa noted, _then again, it's not like I have a French accent either_. She moved around him, and dumped the trays leftovers in the bins. When she turned around, the guy was still there. "Uh, can I help you?"

"No, uh, I mean, yes. It's kinda weird to just ask this straight out, but I can see you're busy... So, could I get your number, please?"

Téa was dumbstruck. Sure, she could get the occassional leer or rude proposition, usually when she wasn't with the guys, but few had been as polite as this, or had come from such a good looking guy.

"S-Sure," and she rattled off her mobile phone number. "By the way, what's your name?"

"I'm Carl. And you?"

"Téa." She smiled and blushed prettily as he waved goodbye and exited the restaurant, being clapped on the back by his mates.

"Oh my gawd! Téa, way to go!" Laura congratulated her.

Téa was smiling for the rest of her shift.

**(88888888)**

Since he had qualified for his licence, Seto Kaiba no longer employed a driver when attending personal matters. He also used a non-descriptive car for these trips, as wealthy-looking cars only attracted unwanted attention.

He pulled smoothly up to the curve of an alley, and switched off the ignition. As he waited, he tapped his fingers off the steering wheel and mentally mapped out his plans for the new Duel Disk adapter, which would enable a greater resolution for his holograms until the release of Duel Disk Lite in three years time.

_Her shift should be over now. _

The employees' back door opened, and Téa stepped out backwards, waving goodbye to co-workers as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

Seto turned on the ignition, pushed into gear, and drove up next to Téa. "Get in."

She was obviously surprised, but she hopped in the car quickly. Pulling on her seatbelt, she commented, "this is very unexpected."

Seto made no reply as he pulled onto the main street. When they had reached the suburbs, he pulled into a busy megamarket carpark.

"What is this about?"

Seto didn't look at her. "Are you sure you are content with me telling Mokuba? This is your last chance to back out. I'm telling him tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm okay with you telling him. So long as you're okay with him knowing. But uhm... y'know, you might want to start that explanation with an apology." Téa suggested hesitantly.

Seto gave a harsh glance to the side. Yet Téa didn't shirk at it.

"Look, start with an apology, and then explain the situation. He's feeling a bit down about it..."

"I thought I told you to mind your own business." Seto snapped coolly.

Téa held her hands up before her, palms facing Seto. "From what I've been told, you guys haven't had a big blow up like this one... so, I think maybe you might need a teensy bit of advice, a push."

"I'm not too concerned with what you think. And what, you're Mokuba's special little confidant now?" he retorted.

_Yeesh! Talk about jealous._ Téa fought not to react to his tone. "Hey, it's just a bit of advice. You might want to smooth things over a little before you drop such a bombshell. I mean, he might not be comfortable confiding in me after you tell him that... we're related."

Seto looked over upon his half-sibling and noted her discomfort at the end of her speech. Strange for Yugi's little cheerleader to try and give him a pep talk of sorts.

"By the way, can you and Mokuba come to the beach this Friday?" Téa asked.

Seto snorted. "Do you honestly think I have the time to waste at the beach? And on Friday – the end of the working week?"

Téa narrowed her eyes at Seto as she cast him a sidelong glance. Her tone was frosty. "Kaiba, you are going. It would be a nice way to make things up with Mokuba. And seeing as you're so snappish, it looks like you could do with a break."

Seto grunted. "Back off, Gardner. Keep your nose out of my business – I've told you already."

"You will go, Kaiba." Téa pursed her lips. _So, we're back to surnames... guess we won't be acting like a family, so..._

He started the car and drove to Téa's apartment block, driving quickly and silently. Téa opted not to try and advise him further while driving, lest she piss off the brooding male and cause an accident. It was only when he pulled up to the curb that Téa made one last attempt.

"Kaiba, I don't know everything about your relationship with Mokuba. What I do know is you guys are really close. So it's got to hurt that you two are fighting. Just apologise, Kaiba. He tried to the other day – now it's your turn to extend the olive branch." Téa pleaded.

Seto didn't react. He just pulled away back into traffic.

Téa sighed as she watched the stream of his tail lights disappear with a wink around the street corner. _I hope those two sort things out..._

**(88888888)**

Though he was surprised, Mokuba was relieved to find that Seto wasn't at home when he walked in the door. The tension left his body as he made himself a bowl of cereal, and shuffled off to the games room.

He switched on the television in the corner of the room, and settled into the large leather couch opposite. As he half listened to the news and munched on his cereal, he wondered about his older brother's whereabouts. A stab of guilt made it difficult to swallow that mouthful of cereal. _We haven't spoken to one another in so long... I suppose I'll just have to apologise first, _Mokuba concluded, though he found the idea leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He had managed to avoid his brother well enough until now that no serious conversation would start. He had been lucky yesterday – Seto had to attend a mid-week meeting with some stockholders, and Mokuba had slipped out of the house early this morning to meet up with some classmates regarding a civics project due in a weeks times. Mokuba wasn't too sure how much longer he could avoid running into his brother – granted the house was large, and it was easy to put space between them, but he knew that Seto wouldn't allow him to act childishly for much longer.

The door of the games room opened. Mokuba jumped and almost spilled the cereal and milk onto the floor. He half stood from the chair, with the bowl balanced in his hands, and stared at his brother. The light from the hallway shone against the outline of his brother, and strangely, Mokuba had to quell a rising uneasiness in his gut. The dim lights of the games room prevented Mokuba from seeing his brother's expression, and all of a sudden he was very worried about what Seto had to say – why had his big brother sought him out?

Seto flipped the switch next to the door, brightly illuminating the room. Mokuba immediately avoided looking at his brother, only to look up sheepishly a moment later.

"Mokuba," Seto clearly stated. "We need to talk."

Though Mokuba sensed no anger in Seto's statement, he was still worried about where this discussion with his brother would end up – would the end up fighting again?

"Okay."

Seto strode across the room to his younger sibling. Though he had prepared his speech in his mind, he still wasn't sure how Mokuba would react – the kid had changed quite a bit since puberty, no longer readily agreeing to Seto's authority and more prone to sulking.

"You remember the box of our parents' possessions I received?"

Mokuba nodded, though a little confused.

"Well, there was something in it... that I needed to investigate. That's why I've been a little distant lately."

"Oh," Mokuba commented. _Where is he going with his? Is he going to tell me, or what?_

"Sorry."

Mokuba's head jerked up to look at Seto, as though he had been electrocuted. Seto saw Mokuba's eyes moisten and his jaw tighten. Mokuba launched himself at Seto, who caught him in his arms. Seto was surprised. Beneath the ball of hair, he felt his little brother shaking slightly.

"Mokuba?"

"I'm okay, Seto. Just... thank you. And I'm sorry too." Mokuba looked up at his brother with a huge grin and damp eyes. His grip tightened around Seto again. "Thank you."

They stayed like that for a moment, Seto holding Mokuba in his arms. Seto did feel a little awkward but Mokuba felt very comfortable, despite being a young teen who, by the law of averages, should have been against authority figures and sentimental displays.

Mokuba finally loosened his grip and Seto lowered him to the floor. Looking up with a bright grin, Mokuba's eyes twinkled. "Wanna go to the beach tomorrow? It's a Friday, and it wouldn't kill you to take one day off – I'm sure that KC will survive one day without you."

_Gardner's little plan_, Seto remembered. He hadn't told Mokuba yet of what he had learned, and Mokuba hadn't asked. Given Mokuba's recent behaviour, Seto couldn't calculate how Mokuba would react to the discovery. _Perhaps we should have a bit of fun before I break the news... Make good memories, or some crap like that,_ he thought, not quite used to thinking too kindly or sentimentally. And he would not acknowledge the guilt he felt as the reason for thinking so. "Maybe."

"Aw, c'mon Seto!" Mokuba smiled up impishly. Seto was struck how the expression no longer had an innocent persuasion to it, but rather made his brother look like a teasing teen, looking to provoke a strong reaction from its target. _He's already gotten so much older… he'll be an adult very soon…_

Seto's phone let out a screeching wail, disturbing the relaxed and teasing conversation of the two brothers. Mokuba's eyes lost their shine as Seto pulled the phone from his pocket and read the message on the screen.

Against an angry pink background, a line of numbers stood, with a message underneath. _'Defence system of 7386_52422 home PC breached. Attack ongoing.'_

Seto cursed, running out of the room to his office. Worried, Mokuba took off after him, curiosity egging him to find out what was happening, regardless of what his brother wished. _You can't keep me in the dark, Seto._

Mokuba entered the dimly lit office to see Seto, highlighted by the cold glare of his desktop, typing out a series of commands as his eyes swept across all the incoming information on the screen. Not wanting to interrupt his brother when so obviously busy with an important matter, Mokuba stood to the side of the desk on which the monitor of Seto's PC sat, watching his brother's fingers fly across the black keyboard. Recognising a few of the commands typed, Mokuba frowned, determined to figure out the situation from Seto's actions.

However, a moment later, Seto's hands rested in front of his keyboard unmoving as he sat back into his leather swivel chair. He sighed, and Mokuba was struck at how old his brother looked – Seto was massaging his knuckle joints, and he had discoloration around his eyes, which looked oddly deflated where they met the slope of the nose. Mokuba felt a wave of guilt engulf him, but then shook it off, reminding himself he wanted to know what had Seto stressed out so that he could help out, thus hopefully reducing all that his brother had to bare.

"So, bro, what's up?" Mokuba asked quietly. "Anything I can help with?"

Seto looked at his brother. He decided to be honest, to put his best foot forward after his apology. "Someone was attempting to hack my PC. I don't know who they were – they realised that I was attempting to trace their location and gave up." He sighed. "Well, it's not like they got anything, thanks to the extra security on the project files."

Mokuba's brow screwed itself up. "Why would anyone bother hacking you? Surely they must know that you would have the best security measures available to protect your work?"

Seto nodded in agreement. "I don't know who they were. I would say that they are an idiot for trying to hack me, but… they realised I was tracing them."

Raising his eyes, Seto noticed the worry in the slate coloured eyes examining him. _This is the kind of thing I didn't want for you, Mokuba… You shouldn't be worrying about this crap. Idiot._ It was time for a distraction. "So, the beach, is it?"

"Huh?" Mokuba snapped to attention. He smiled hopefully. "Oh! You mean you'll come along?"

Heavens, how little time did he spend with Mokuba if the promise of a trip to the beach could elict such a smile of delight from him? Realising the distance that had developed between he and Mokuba, he was a bit disturbed. "Of course. As you said, the office can survive without me for a day. Question is, how will I survive the gang of geeks?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes. A teasing smile graced his face. "Oh, you're one to talk – you love Duel Monsters just as much as Yugi and his friends, AND you're a technology genius. If anything, you seem to be the geekiest one."

Seto was shocked for a moment by his brother's less than flattering comment coupled with the cheeky smile. But then, he smirked. "Pfft! Hardly. A man as intelligent and as cultured as I-"

"-would surely have the social skills to be polite and pleasant to those he finds annoying," Mokuba interrupted, smirking up at his older brother. _Let's see if you take me up on this challenge, Seto._

Seto stared at Mokuba for a moment, wondering when his brother had grown up to think so quickly and tactically. He grunted.

"I think I would need divine patience to deal with the likes of the mutt," he groused.

Mokuba lowered his head and sighed. When he looked back up to Seto, he had employed his puppy eyes to full watery capacity. Seto was taken aback. _Seems as though he hasn't outgrown this…_

"Please, Seto," Mokuba looked up earnestly. "Please, just try to get along. Just for one day. You owe me."

Willing to do anything to quash the alien feeling of guilt in his torso, Seto nodded his consent. "Alright. But if he starts something, I will not be backing down."

Letting out a whoop of joy, Mokuba flashed Seto an angelic smile, before racing off to get his mobile phone to text Téa the good news.

Seto sighed, lowering his head into his hands. He set his fingers to massaging his temples. _What have I set myself up for?_

**(88888888)**

Although Friday started off with dull clouds and a few showers, by mid-morning the sky had cleared and the sun was shining through. It looked like it was going to be a perfect day to go to the beach.

Téa had packed a massive straw basket with a variety of sandwiches, a bowl of chicken Caesar salad, crackers, chive dip, some cold pizza slices, a pot of mixed berries, some peaches, paper plates, some brightly coloured plastic cutlery with matching glasses, and large bottle of lemon flavoured water. _I hope that is enough for everyone… maybe, it Joey manages to control his appetite. _

She struggled to lift the basket. As it fell from her grasp, only to be caught awkwardly, Téa's mind was taken back ten years ago. She remembered her own mother filling up the basket with sandwiches and bags of crisps with bottles of sugary soda. She remembered her mom's worried exclamation, "Téa, darling, be careful! That's very heavy!" Her mother had lifted the basket out of her hands, and handed her daughter her hand bag and a light bag with towels and sunscreen.

Wanting to remember no more, Téa inhaled sharply. She shook her head vigorously. "Well, don't want to get burnt today." She headed over to her medicine cupboard and threw a bottle of SPF 60 into the basket as well.

She slipped on her backpack that had a towel and a spare pair of shoes onto her back. She lifted the basket onto her left arm, and set off for the game shop to meet her friends before getting the bus. She slipped her mobile phone out of her bright red shorts, texting Mokuba the time and location for today's trip. _I don't know what he did to get Seto Kaiba to agree, but go, Mokuba!_ She couldn't help but giggle as she imagined the young boy strong-arming his brother to agree to his request. _Still, did Seto tell Mokuba? It doesn't seem like it. If he had, I'm sure Mokuba would have been over to me, or called me. Maybe he just wouldn't be awkward about it? I doubt it, somehow…_

She arrived at the game shop, but wasn't the first one there - Joey and Tristan had beaten her to it. They were talking outside of the game shop as they waited for Téa to arrive. It seemed that Tristan was holding the bag with the towels and some extra clothes. Joey had two big long-life shopping bags bulging by his side – _figures_. Yugi also had a plastic bag resting by his side, but Téa couldn't figure out what it was at all.

"Hey, guys!" She yelled at them. "Ready for some sun and surf?"

"We sure are!" Tristan hollered back.

As she drew close to them, Joey started to scrutinise the basket weighing down Téa's arm. "Well, what do we have here?"

"Sandwiches, salad and fruit mainly." She replied as she dumped the basket on the ground, smiling knowingly at Yugi. They all could predict Joey's reaction to the news.

"Aw, Téa, more health food crap?" Joey complained as her mobile phone let out a shrill sound.

"Oh, from Mokuba," she commented, and quickly tapped out a reply with one hand. "He says he and Seto will meet us there in thirty minutes."

"WHAT? The jerk Kaiba is gonna be there?" Joey exclaimed angrily.

Yugi and Tristan were also surprised. Yugi decided to ask her a lot more calmly. "Well, that's a surprise… I didn't think he thought too much of us – why is he _willingly_ spending time with us?"

"Well, I thought it would be nice if he came along." Téa explained, ignoring the looks of disbelief exchanged by her friends. "Mokuba wants to spend more time with him, y'know?"

"Wait a minute, you invited him?" Tristan asked. Téa nodded. "Why? That guy hates us."

Téa frowned. "Sorry, was there some memo out saying we gave up on trying to be his friend?" She asked, anger seeping in to her voice. "If so, I didn't get it. Look, it's for one day. Can't we just try and get along?"

"But Téa, that guy has been nothing but a jerk to us from day one! He doesn't care about us, and I'm sure a robot like him would prefer to spend the day recharging or something, than with such great guys such as ourselves." Joey proclaimed.

"Joey, just for one day. Think of this – we are probably the only social part of Seto, er, Kaiba's life at the moment." Téa reasoned, hoping that her friends didn't pick up on her casual use of Seto's first name. She had said it earlier when reading out the text to the group, and now she had said it again. If she wasn't more careful, she could end up getting asked some awkward questions.

Looking around, it seemed that Joey was the only one thinking hard on this. Yugi already smiled his consent to Téa, and Tristan gave a hesitant nod, before they all turned their heads to Joey.

"Okay."

Téa gave a sigh of relief. "Right then – to the beach!" she shouted.

**(88888888)**

"Seto, please, don't antagonize them – especially Joey," Mokuba pleaded. "When you guys argue, it's the worst."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Not my fault the damn dog can't keep his temper in check."

"He's not the only one," Mokuba sourly replied. He then sighed. "Please Seto. Just be polite. Please!"

"First you make me wear this crap, and now you want me to be polite to the Friendship Squad?" Seto gestured to his outfit. He wore a knee length, loose navy blue swim trunks. His torso was covered with a buttoned baby-blue sun shirt. Mokuba had forced Seto to buy appropriate attire for the beach, and once more, Seto was wondering how his brother was able to twist his arm on these matters.

"Yes, and yes," Mokuba smiled gleefully. He looked a lot more comfortable in his own swim shorts with a Hawaiian print – white flowers against a bright pink background. His white shirt was left open, unlike his brother, and the sun was warming his belly, bouncing off the barely-there abdominal muscles that were trying to come through. One would really have to be observing him as he moved to notice them.

Seto smothered a sigh. _It's a gift before the he learns the truth, I suppose._ "Fine. But if the mutt starts something, I won't back down."

"Seto!"

"And by the law of being a brother, you had better back me up." Seto smirked.

"Y'know, you can be kind of impossible."

Before Seto could retort, Téa had shouted a "hey!" to greet the brothers. Téa was the first one over to the brothers, and Seto willed her to look at him, to see the message in his eyes.

Running over to the Kaiba brothers, Téa noticed the strange look in Seto's face and silently replied with a questioning glance. A slight shake of his head told her all. _He didn't tell him…_

"Hey, Téa. Why are you looking so confused at Seto?"

Crap! Had she been caught?

"Well, y'know, I think this is the first time I've seen your brother in normal, casual clothes!" She teased gently, Mokuba giggling slightly as Seto shifted uncomfortably in the sand.

By now, Yugi, Tristan and Joey had made it to the sun-drenched spot of the beach where the Kaiba's sat. Joey stopped in shock. "Holy crap! Kaiba looks normal!"

"Well, how the hell did you expect me to look," Seto bit back, threateningly.

"Now, now, you two. Take it easy," Téa suggested. She went ignored.

"Well, to be honest, I thought you'd have swim shorts with fins on them. Or propellors, or something."

Everyone managed to suppress their snorts, except for Mokuba, who ended up grinning broadly in his brother's face.

"Hardly," Seto retorted coolly. "I'm not stupid enough to think of crap like that."

Well, it was a tame enough comment, coming from Kaiba, the group concluded. Before things could escalate, Téa jumped up to Joey with a bacon sandwich and shoved it into his open mouth. "What do you think, Joey? Too much butter?"

The blonde glared at his friend as he chewed, but as he chewed, his glare faded. "Not bad. Could use some more bacon."

And with that, the group started to set up. Téa handed the Kaiba brothers a large blanket to unfold and set down the beach, and sent Joey and Tristan off to look for some stones, or tree limbs to weigh it down. Then, she and Yugi set about unpacking the food onto the centre of the blanket. Yugi pulled a deflated plastic ball from the bag her carried and proceeded to blow it up. His face was turning red with the effort, and as she laughed, Téa wondered if he was going to faint from the task.

She wasn't surprised to find that when it was blown up, that the ball had Duel Monsters on it. She sighed as Mokuba exclaimed over it.

"There would have to be half-naked women on it…" she muttered to herself, eyeing the ball. It seemed to her that the Dark Magician girl was in even skimpier clothing and that the Hapry-Lady suddenly had a breast enhancement. At least the Amazonian warrior had an excuse – she always had been dressed with little, loose material.

"What are you giving out about, Gardner?" Seto looked at her. It seemed to Téa that he was looking to provoke her – perhaps in revenge for distracting Joey? Or maybe he was just bored.

"Oh, nothing much. I wouldn't really be commenting, but I know that Duel Monsters hasn't released a beach ball with any male characters of the game in skimpy clothing, that's all." She shrugged her shoulders lightly, as if that was all to the matter. And it was.

"A feminist, eh?"

Her eyes narrowed on him. "Got a problem with that, _Kaiba_?"

"Hey!" Joey yelled into her ear. "How come you get to argue with him, but I'm not allowed? Talk about unfair!"

"Sexist, even," Seto threw in, to rile up the duo further.

But before either responded angrily, Seto had been tackled to the floor of the beach. "Hey, Seto! Let's go swimming!" Mokuba exclaimed, dragging his struggling brother towards the beach, whispering reprimands as he did so.

Téa and Joey stared a little dumfounded at the scene.

"Joey, I know this is difficult, but please don't react to what Kaiba has to say."

Joey sulked for a moment, before conceding. "Alright, but you owe me one!"

The rest of the beach stay was tension free. There were some issues through the day, mainly involved in stopping Joey from challenging Seto to a swimming contest, a sand castle building contest, a beach ball contest, a Frisbee contest… The group was mainly thankful that he hadn't tried to start an eating contest – Téa hadn't brought enough for that, not even with Joey's extras.

As the sun hung low in the sky, the group sat on blankets and towels around a fire that Tristan had constructed with his Boy Scout skills. Even though Kaiba wasn't participating in conversation, the mood was relaxed and fun.

Téa sighed happily, feeling very thankful for her friends and family present. She couldn't help but smile with delight when she noticed that Seto didn't feel like an extra in the group, or an outcast. Despite his manner and their history with him, it felt like he was part of the group.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Joey's toe, which was nudging itself off of her calf. "Hey, Téa. What's up with you and Kaiba?"

Joey now had the attention of the whole group. "Huh? What do you mean?" _Damn, he noticed that I'm treating him differently…_

"Just, y'know. You bring him along all of a sudden, and you're treating him real friendly, and making a big special effort to make him comfortable and part of the group." True, true and true. "So, if you fancy him, or you guys are going out, you can just say it. It'll take a while to get use-"

Téa shrieked like a harpy and clobbered Joey with the mostly empty picnic basket. "WHAT THE HELL?"

And while normally Seto would have smirked at Joey getting hit by a friends, he was too busy processing the difficult idea of him going out with Téa. _Stupid mutt, drawing stupid conclusions. _

He continued to watch as Téa beat the poor blonde with the basket, as if to add emphasis to her words. "I. Am. Not. Dating. Kaiba. I. Do. Not. Fancy. Him. Do. You. Under. Stand?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! You guys aren't dating, I geddit! Sorry! OW!"

"Pfft! As if I'd want to date Gardner," Seto snorted. Téa threw him a nasty look. It was then that Joey decided to be defensive.

"Hey! What's wrong with Téa? She's not a bad catch! Better than you deserve." Joey stood up over Seto, challenging him.

Seto glared up coldly and condescendingly at him. "We are both very different people with a different set of ideals and values that are not complimentary to one another. A relationship between the two of us would be a harmful relationship full of anger and fights. That's why, you idiot. Maybe she is treating me kindly because she recognises that I am a superior being who's presence she wishes to be graced with."

"Hardly," Téa snorted.

"Joey," Yugi started. "How about you let this go? You made a mistake, and you didn't apologise yet."

Joey looked at the two angry and tense figures of Téa and Seto. He also noted the discomfort of Mokuba, Tristan and Yugi. _Well, shit._

"Uh, I'm sorry, you guys. Sometimes my brain needs a filter… and I say things with out thinking," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. He then suddenly backed up, and bowed from the waist.

Téa sighed. "It's okay, Joey. We all make mistakes."

"Some not as offensive as that." Seto mumbled. Mokuba nudged him to keep quiet as Téa shot him a warning glare.

"Man, I can't believe I was so wrong," Joey commented. He turned to Téa. "I was sure you were going mushy over someone."

To everyone's surprise, Téa's cheeks flushed pink. "W-well, actually… there sort of, maybe is… this guy."

"WHAT?" All eyes were on her.

"Y-yeah. Um, he's taking me out. Tomorrow." Noting the questioning and protective looks in the eyes of her friends (Yugi, Tritan, and especially Joey), she set about putting their minds at ease. "He's a nice guy that I met at Burger King. We are going for lunch in a public place – the art gallery café. It's perfectly fine and safe."

Despite her efforts, she was bombarded with questions. She could only sigh, and wish fervently for a change in the discussion topic.

**(88888888)**

CLICK. The camera whirred as it's lens closed and reopened. CLICK – the cycle repeated itself as the lens captured stills of the group sitting around a fire on a beach. Five boys, and one girl.

The owner of the camera, who was directing its vision, was only too disappointed that his target wasn't really doing anything scandalous, or located near the girl of the group. Still, he had captured another side to his target. At least it was something.

Stage two of the plan would hopefully see him get closer to his target… he would have to go to great lengths to do so. He might have to hurt a few people to do so, but he didn't mind. The ends justified the means in his eyes.

He kept his camera trained on the group, looking for more information on his target. Oh yes, he was a patient man, and he could wait all day if he had to.

**(88888888)**

Seto was exhausted when he arrived home with Mokuba. He wasn't used to doing so much physical activity in one day. He wasn't used to being polite to his duelling enemy Yugi and his cheerleaders. He most certainly wasn't used to listening to banal, idiotic romantic discussion, particularly in relation to his newly discovered half-sister.

Yet Mokuba had done all the same things as Seto, and participated all the more so, and more eagerly. And the kid still had energy. Mokuba was busy humming as he shoved some chicken into a wok, lightly cooking it before throwing in frozen peas, a packet of black bean sauce and some straight-to-wok noodles. He didn't seem drained of energy at all.

_I should tell him now. I said I would. I said I would do it after the trip to the beach. _

Seto cleared his throat. He sat on the chair, facing the kitchen, and waited for his brother to dump the contents of the wok into a bowl. Once his brother had settled at the table, he began to speak.

"Mokuba… we had a fight recently." Mokuba winced slightly at the reminder. "It was due to me keeping information and anxieties to myself."

"Y-yeah."

"Well, recently, I discovered something worrying. And I wanted to check it out before I told you about it. Understand?"

Mokuba nodded. He silently waited for Seto to continue.

Seto sighed. He didn't really want to tell his only family that their father had cheated on their mother, and that a child had been the result of the betrayal – no one wanted to think of that in relation to their parents, especially when they were deceased and unable to defend themselves, or offer their side of the story.

"In the box I received from the solicitors, I found some worrying information. About our mother and father." Mokuba's eyes widened considerably. "Dad cheated on mom. He had a child with another woman."

Seto waited for the bombshell to be processed by his brother's mind. He waited for his brother to make eye contact as a go ahead for the rest of the information. He wouldn't tell Mokuba all the story until he felt Mokuba was ready.

Instead, Mokuba's head jerked downwards, to hide his face. "Continue."

"I did a little investigating, and I was fairly sure I had found our… half-sibling. I did a DNA test, and it came back positive."

"Seto, are you sure?" Mokuba asked with a broken voice.

Seto gave an annoyed look at his brother. "Of course I'm sure. Why do you think I didn't tell you until now? It's not just the fact we have a half-sister-"

"We have a sister?"

Seto sighed. This was proving to be more difficult than he had expected. "Mokuba. This will be a really big shock. Prepare yourself."

"There's a more shocking bit?"Then he saw the strain in his brother's face. "Sorry, big bro." Mokuba bit his lip and steadied his breathing. "So, w-what is our sister's name?"

"Téa Gardner."

**(88888888)**

**A/N:  
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**Le gasp! Did not see that one coming(!) This is later than I promised, and I'm sorry. I'd like to say life got busy, but procrastination is really to blame.**

**Also, this fic is becoming a lot longer than I originally intended. I thought it might be ten chapters, max, but it looks like it will be longer. And I've really neglected Téa's side of the story - I plan to write more of her side and problems in the coming chapters  
><strong>

**Please, review – let me know what was good, bad and just meh. Was there something you liked, or would like to happen? Something you disliked, or would hate to see happen? Let me know, and please help me to continue improving with your advice.**

**I hope everyone's summers are better than here in Ireland (it's pretty wet).**


	9. Confrontations

****_Special thanks to those that reviewed last chapter - ChibiGirlXD, Anshu, Blackeyeball, Arethahiwatari, Jocasta Silver and anon. reviewer, maridalia1962.  
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**Confrontations**

_**Previously: **__Yugi &co. Went to the beach with the Kaiba brothers where Seto was on surprisingly good behaviour. There, Téa revealed she had a date the following day. After returning home from the beach, Seto told Mokuba that he had discovered they had another sibling, and that it was Téa Gardner..._

"So, w-what is our sister's name?"

"Téa Gardner."

Mokuba's jaw went slack. His brows furrowed. His eyes searched his older brother's face for signs of a lie.

"No way... That's... that's messed up." Seto could only nod in agreement. "Does... does _she _know?"

Seto shifted in his seat. "Yes. I wanted to check if she was a liability to u-"

"If she was a liability!" Mokuba exploded. "The fuck, Seto!"

Seto was stunned. And angry. "Language, Mokuba!"

"Who gives a crap? Seto, did you ever think we would be the liability for her?" Well, no... "And you guys kept this secret for how long? How long has she known that I'm her little brother?"

Seto decided the best way to placate an angry Mokuba was to answer his questions. "T- Gardner has known for a while now. I suppose it would have been the start of the holidays. I asked her not to tell you until I had evaluated her, and once I had confirmed she wanted you to know you were related to her."

Mokuba looked wounded. In a small voice, he asked, "why would she not want to be related to me?" A look of realisation grew on his face. "Wait... when I confided in her about my argument with you... she KNEW what was going on! She knew what you were keeping from me-"

"Mokuba-" Seto started, uncomfortable with the path Mokuba's train of thought was taking. "She did what was best-"

He stopped upon seeing his brother's shoulders shake.

"You guys lied to me..."

"Moku-"

"Guess we are related."

"Mokie!" Seto was a little desperate now. He had never seen his brother so upset and with a face etched with betrayal. "I'm sorry - genuinely. I may not have confided in you, and Gardner may not have told you either, but I was looking for a way that would cause the least bit of disruption."

"Téa."

"What?"

"Her name is Téa. Not Gardner. She is family." Mokuba finally looked up at him. His eyes were watering in anger. "Is she ashamed to be related to us? Is that why she didn't tell me?"

Seto couldn't really answer that one. "I – I don't think so. But Mokuba, keep this to yourself. Keep in mind, that Téa is an illegitimate child. She might see herself as the product of a potential... home wrecking. She could find it awkward."

"And I suppose you've done little to assure her otherwise." Mokuba's tone was like acid. Seto was actually stung by his words.

"Mokuba, it is not fair of you to treat me like this."

"Well, was it fair that you kept all this from me?!" Mokuba yelled, squeezing his eyes shut as he did. "No, it's not! Is there anything else you're keeping from me? A secret girlfriend? Gozaburo's wife in a closest? Are you even my brother?!"

"Of course I'm your brother!" Seto snapped.

Mokuba looked up at his brother who was finally angry. Mokuba was a little surprised – he had thought Seto would keep his cool no matter what.

"Could have fooled me," Mokuba said. "You still didn't answer me – any other problems that you should share with me?"

Seto sighed. He was fighting a losing battle with an angry teen. "The only thing I can think of is the security breach we had, and the fact that someone is looking for Seto and Mokuba Seguchi."

"Wha-? You didn't tell me something so important either!"

"Mokuba, it just happened the other day, we had just made up-"

"Well, if they're smart enough to hack in to our system without being caught, maybe it's some more relatives that you can sneak around with behind my back," Mokuba mumbled unhappily. After all they had been through, Seto was now keeping secrets. He could understand not telling him about Téa – getting her consent to share the information was the right thing to do, and it's what he himself would have done. But for Seto to keep another big secret... it hurt. After Gozaburo, Seto had always shared his plans with Mokuba – to get the BEWD cards, to challenge Yugi to a duel, to approach Pegasus about the holographic technology, plans for Battle City – and yet now, he was being kept in the dark. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand what he had done wrong, or for what reason his brother suddenly deemed him untrustworthy.

Standing up, Seto's hand slammed onto the table. "Mokuba, you are behaving inappropriately. I never would have thought you capable of such childish behaviour." That was like a slug to the gut for Mokuba. "And you wonder why I didn't confide in you?" Seto sneered.

Mokuba's eyes actually welled up. "Well, I'm sorry I'm not perfect like you, Seto," he spat out angrily and sarcastically. "I thought that since you suddenly started treating me like a child, I may as well act like one – not like I had the chance before. Between worrying about you living up to Gozaburo's standards, you taking over the company, you moving it from weapons manufacturing to technology, I haven't had too much fucking opportunity!"

A heavy silence hung between the two brothers. Mokuba was breathing heavily; trying to regain all the breath he had used shouting and trying not to cry. Seto's lips were pursed together, stopping himself from saying anything more that he would regret.

After a minute of silence, Seto exhaled a weary breath. "Moku- Mokie, I did treat you badly, didn't I? I haven't been very consistent."

_You can say that again. _

"It's just that recently, I have realised... I kept you from having a nice childhood. The whole point of having Gozaburo adopt us was so that you could have a bette-"

"Shut up! Don't! Don't make me feel guilty for what you went through!" Mokuba was sobbing now. He didn't care much for his image at this point, and let the tears flow freely. He didn't think Seto would do something so underhanded to him.

"No, that's not what I was trying to say." Seto clarified. "Even after him, I didn't allow you to just have fun. I involved you in things I shouldn't have. I-"

He looked down on his miserable little brother that he was lording over. '_I think this is a case of actions speak louder than words'-_ wasn't that what he had said to Gardner?

He bent at the knees beside Mokuba's seat, and wrapped his arms around his younger brother. "I just regret that I put you through so much crap," he admitted finally.

They stayed like that for a moment, with only Mokuba's occasional sniffle. Seto could only relax when Mokuba folded his arms around Seto's neck.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "For being such a colossal ass."

"Hn. 's fine."

"Would it... Would it be okay if I went and talked to Téa about this... situation?"

"You can, yes. Do you want me there?"

"Nah," Mokuba lifted his head back from his brother and looked directly at him. "I should be okay."

"You know you're going to have to wait until after her date, right?"

"Yeah. She's meeting him at noon... who knows how long she'll take. I'll just text her tomorrow and see what happens."

"I hope I didn't ruin your day today with the news." Seto's eyes watched his brother for a reaction.

"Weeell. Not really." Mokuba replied, a reflective look on his face. "Y'know, this is the first big fight we had where we made up straight afterwards. It's... nice."

With all the tension drained out of their bodies and due to the busy day at the beach, the two headed up to their own bedrooms, and fell sound asleep.

**(88888888)**

"Sssh! Keep it down, guys, we don' wanna get caught," Joey quietly berated his two friends. Yugi and Tristan finally settled into a crouch alongside Joey, despite some reservations.

"Look, Joey, this doesn't feel right," Yugi piped up. "We're spying on one of our friends – _again._"

"But Yug, we gotta keep an eye out for her. No offence, but Téa usually sees the best in people before looking at their worst. She's not naturally suspicious of them, y'know?"

"Joey, I agree with you there," Tristan said. "However, I'm not really into sitting in some plastic bushes while Téa is munching on some cheesy croissant – let's go to Burger World and quiz her later. Hell, we could even convince her to bring the guy along, and observe him then."

"Look, guys, don't you know that when the observed knows he is being observed he, um..." Joey paused to think. "Yeah, it changes his behaviour – as opposed to when don't know it."

He was about to shuffle off to get into hearing range of the couple, but Tristan yanked his leg back, causing Joey to fall on his front to the floor – from there, Yugi sat on his back.

"No offence, man," Tristan started, "it's one thing to spy on them, and another to eavesdrop."

Yugi nodded. "Sorry, Joey, it's not going to happen. Now just sit here quietly, or else we'll get caught."

The trio settled down to watch Téa stand up to meet a tall tanned man who greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks.

"Smooth bastard," Joey mumbled.

The two settled down, and it was easy to see how the man put Téa at ease – he sat up straight, and when she was talking (they assumed it to be some anecdote by her animated guestures), the guy leaned forward on his left elbow, maintaining eye contact.

Once the couple had finished their light lunches, the man offered his arm to Téa and she linked hers through his as they stepped into the art gallery. This was a painful moment for Tristan and Yugi, the legs of whom had become tired from remaining in a constricted position for so long. Joey, who had been lying on his stomach on the ground, was perfectly fine, and shuffled forward on his elbows after the young duo.

Tristan and Yugi eventually found Joey, who had stuck a big blue billed hat on his head and had his head burrowed in an information brochure, with only his eyes peaking out over it at a weird angle.

"Totally inconspicuous," Yugi grumbled to Tristan, who merely sighed. They kept a safe distance from Joey who was keeping a safe distance from Téa and her date. While the art gallery was relatively large, the three boys still had to stay on their toes lest they incurred the wrath of their friend.

It looked like the afternoon was going to pass without incident. Téa and her date stood on the steps of the art gallery saying their goodbyes to one another. Yugi and Tristan had rejoined Joey and were hidden behind the cement pillar watching the two.

The man pecked both of Téa's cheeks as he had greeted her earlier on, and then to the boys' surprise, and from the widening of her eyes, Téa too, he kissed her soundly on the mouth. He pulled away from a blushing Téa and waved goodbye as he headed downtown, not knowing how close he had been to a beating from Joey. Tristan and Yugi has pounced like wildcats to restrict their friend. They thought they had done a good job until a shadow fell over them.

"What," Téa snapped out crisply, "are you three doing here?"

"Uh... enjoying the beautiful abstract art?" Joey offered.

Téa's eyes narrowed. "Strange, I thought it was landscape."

"Uh, that's what he meant," Tristan replied eagerly. "Y'know Joey, he ain't all that bright."

Joey nodded emphatically.

"I lied, it was mixed."

"Hey! That's just setting a trap for us!" Joey shouted.

"For you to confess to spying on me!" Téa yelled back.

"Guys!" Yugi stood between the two, his short frame doing nothing to keep their angry faces from one another. "Calm down." He turned to Téa. "Sorry for following you. Joey was kind of worried about you, and we figured this was the best way for him to put his mind at ease without ruining your date.

Téa's gaze softened. "Look, thanks for worrying and all, but I'm a big girl, and can take care of myself. Don't worry, if something's wrong, I'll let you know."

"'Cept you don't," Tristan muttered.

"What?"

"Well, you don't confide in us. You were going through a rough patch a while ago, and it had to do with your mom, we know. But you didn't say anything to us, though you were miserable as hell." His brown eyes stared directly into her face, not breaking eye contact once. "We were really worried about you, Téa."

Honestly, Téa had not expected them to notice. She thought that they were busy enough with their own lives – upcoming tournaments, part-time jobs, school work and exams – so she didn't think they'd even notice her being upset. She had thought that even if they did notice, they'd put it down to 'woman problems'.

She smiled brightly. "Well, there's no need to be. It was something I had to do myself. I talked with my aunt about it, which is why I didn't bother you guys with it. "

All three of the boys felt that her smile was a little forced, but giving one another a silent nod, they conceded.

"Just to let you know, Téa, we wouldn't feel it would be a bother," Yugi smiled comfortingly up at her. "We're your friends, and we are there for you through thick and thin, like you've been there for us."

"Yug's right," Joey chimed in. "We'll always be here to listen to you."

"Thanks, you guys," Téa smiled genuinely. Her smile turned mischievous. "So, does that mean I can tell you aaaall about how cute and sexy Carl is?"

"Who?"

Téa gave Joey a light thwack on his head. "The guy I was on the date with."

"Oh. Ew, no thanks!"

Laughter rang throughout street.

**(88888888)**

_'Hey, can I meet with u and urs today? I can meet any time that suits u.'_

Téa read the text from Mokuba as she walked down the crowded shopping district, trying to determine what Mokuba could want to meet up for. Did he and Seto fight again, or did Seto tell him?

She glanced at her watch, and and saw that it was half past two. Her shift at Burger World was later than usual (she had swapped shifts with Laura for the night), starting at six-thirty.

_'Sure. Meet 3? But have work 630 – that enuf time?'_She replied.

Thirty seconds later, her phone pinged and lit up. _'K, fine. C u then.'_

**(88888888) **

Mokuba was sitting outside of Téa's apartment door when arrived home. She opened the door quickly, and told him to make himself comfortable while she got them some drinks and snacks.

Mokuba had settled himself in the deep, brown armchair that was perpendicular to the sofa. Téa placed her tray of glasses and plates onto the coffee table and sat on the two-seater sofa.

"So, what's up?" She said cheerily, placing a slice of raspberry log in front of the young teen. She took no notice of the fact he hadn't met her eyes since she entered the room.

"Uhh, not much. How was your date?" His tone was less than curious.

"It went really well, thanks for asking. Carl is interesting. But... I get the feeling that isn't why you are here," she said softly. "Is there something... you wanna talk about?"

"Uhm. Seto... told me."

Téa raised a brow. "About... your dad?"

"_Our_ dad," Mokuba corrected.

"Oh," she replied. She smiled weakly. "That. Small world, huh?

"Yeah," he said softly. "What are the chances?"

Téa laughed a little. "No idea. But uhm... how are you with all of this?"

Mokuba finally looked her in the eyes. "I'm... a lot of things. Initially, I was angry, shocked, of course, and disbelieving. I was really angry with Seto and you for keeping it from me-"

"Mokuba," she interrupted. "I'm really sorry about that, but Seto-"

"Wanted to _'evaluate'_ you, I know," Mokuba rolled his eyes. "We got in a big fight. More of a screaming match this time-"

"Oh, Mokuba! I'm sorry, honestly!"

"Téa," he spoke calmly. "Stop apologising. You didn't have a whole pile of options. Granted, you could have told me that you were the secret Seto was keeping from me," she cringed slightly at this, "but I guess... you felt it wasn't really your place...?"

She nodded. "The whole thing kind of came as a shock, like it did for you. I mean, I've never known my father, and then to suddenly learn that I have two sib- well, two half-siblings is unexpected, to say the least."

Mokuba saw the painful cringe in her eyes. All of a sudden, it hit him how hard the entire situation must have been. Did she feel guilty for her mother having an affair with his father? He couldn't tell for sure, but he was pretty sure he was close to the mark.

"Have... have you and Seto discussed this much?"

"Not really." Téa said slowly. "Just that our... father was an economic scientist, and not to tell anyone."

Mokuba let out a little grunt of frustration – trust Seto to have everything on his terms. "So, you haven't even told Yugi?"

"Ah, no, I haven't." She saw his angry scowl. "It's not just about abiding to what your brother asked, it's... It's embarrassing," she whispered.

He watched sadly as she kept twisting her hands in one another. "It's not that I'm embarrassed by you or your brother. It's more about... the circumstances of my birth, and stuff. My mom... gawd, she's one huge source of it..."

When he saw the tears fall from their barriers, Mokuba got off the armchair and sat beside Téa, giving her an awkward one-armed hug. She leant in easily and started to work on controlling her breathing.

"Sorry for bringing all of this up," he said. "I didn't mean-"

"'S okay."

"Can we still be friends? Even if we can't act like family?" He asked in a small voice.

"Of course!" she said, and enveloped him in a proper hug.

**(88888888)**

_'Hey, just wanted 2 say I had a great time 2day. Wud love 2 meet up again – is Tue good 4 u? 2? Let me kno. Sweet dreams ;)'_

Téa couldn't help the mushy smile that spread over her face with great ease. _He's so thoughtful... and wants to meet up again! Eeeeek! I can't wait to tell Laura next time I see her! _It took quite a while for the storm of happy butterflies in her stomach to die down.

**(88888888)**

"Summer holidays end in six weeks," a deep voice spoke up. "We probably should wait until he's back in school again before we strike – juggling school work, KaibaCorp. and raising his brother will mean he's too busy to interfere in our plans."

"Hmm... Not a bad point," a feminine yet nasal voice agreed. "However, it will also mean less of his time for us to exploit. I say we make a move within three weeks. Holidays will still be far enough away that we can get to know and manipulate him, but close enough that we can execute our plan when he is more preoccupied."

"Then, it's settled," the deep voice stated. "We will confront Seto Kaiba in three weeks time. Get planning!"

**(88888888)**

**A bit of an OOC fight between the Kaiba brothers, ne? And it fluctuated a bit as well... Well, li'l Mokie is going through puberty (he would have been the perfect energy source for Kyubey).**

**Téa also had a bit of a confrontation with her friends... I thought that this was was fairly IC (correct me if I'm wrong). I did tone down on the friendshippy tone that 4kids likes to use.**

**Hope that the Téa and Mokuba confrontation wasn't too angsty. Or bipolar. Let me know!**

**_I want to change the summary/blurb - should I, and are there any suggestions? _**

**_._**

**Thanks for reading and please review._  
><em>**


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